Hoodlums invade traditional ruler’s home in Ogun, sets his house ablaze

The Baale of Erebe, in the Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State, Olusegun Lawal has escaped death by a whisker, as some hoodlums invaded his ancestral home.

The hoodlums, who were later arrested, were identified as -Adeyemi Oluwole, Adebola Ogunkoya, and Joseph Fidelis.

Following their arrest, the invaders were arraigned on three counts of arson and breach of peace before Magistrate A. Ogunmodede of the Odogbolu Magistrate’s Court.

They (the suspects), who were also dragged to court for burning the chief’s ancestral home were, however, remanded in the custodial centre in the Ijebu Ode area of Ogun State.

The charges read in part, “That you, Adeyemi Oluwole, Adebola Ogunkoya, Joseph Fidelis, and others still at large, sometime in September 2022, at Omu Ijebu in the Odogbolu Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit arson.

“That you, Adeyemi Oluwole, Adebola Ogunkoya, Joseph Fidelis and others still at large on the same date, time and place, in the aforesaid magisterial district, did willingly set fire to the living apartment.”

Commenting on the development, the monarch said he petitioned Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, and the state Commissioner of Police, as he sought immediate action to rescue him, and his community members from the hoodlums, who had taken over their area.

The chief said, “Since last year, some land grabbers had been invading my community. I had written several letters to the authorities. I was at Ijebu Ode when I received a distress call that my ancestral home was on fire.

“By the time I got to the scene, the entire building had been burnt down. The eyewitnesses couldn’t talk because they had been harassed with guns and other weapons. These hoodlums have been terrorising my community since August 2022.

“They have done the peak of the entire atrocity so far; they burnt my ancestral home where we have all the artefacts and other valuable things. I have been hiding and my family no longer has a rest of mind. They have been after my life, if not they wouldn't have burnt my home.”

It was gathered that the suspects had been terrorizing the community for a while.