Group decries rising hoodlum clashes in Osun

A civil society group, the World Institute for Peace, has decried the increasing hoodlum clashes in Osun State.

The group said between July and December many residents had been injured while no fewer than 10 lives had been lost as a result of such clashes, saying that no suspect had been apprehended by security agencies.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, the group’s Executive Chairman, Lamina Omotoyosi, said the increased activities of hoodlums could affect the successful conduct of the 2023 general election in the state if not urgently tamed.

Omotoyosi said, “It is clear that the most crucial purpose of security is to protect people and their property. This includes both their physical safety and their possessions, as good security measures will make it difficult for criminals to target a person or a place.

“(The) World Institute for Peace, an international organisation, urges the security agencies in Nigeria to focus the force artillery and manpower to combat the recent rampant killings and havoc by hoodlum clashes in Osun State between July and December.

“We implore security operatives in this country to join forces in other to make the state habitable for the February 2023 general election.

“We cited the case of the recent gruesome murder of ex-Osun park revenue collector, Waheed Abioye, whose corpse was burnt after his killing. This was perpetrated by suspected hoodlums in Osogbo, Osun State capital few days ago.

“Over the past five months, political thugs and unidentified hoodlums have killed more than 10 citizens of Osun, both identified and unidentified, whose deaths were cold-blooded and brutal. Of those perpetrators, none have been arrested and they are moving freely on the streets of Osun.”

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