Modupeola Yusuf is a secondary school student in Ilesa. Until April 15 this year, everything was going smoothly for her family which by all accounts was comfortable. But on 15th April, 2007, the world of that family turned upside down as everything that the family could call their own was razed by Action Congress supporters protesting the result of the state’s governorship election. Modupe’s mother, Christiana was so devastated by the mayhem that she had stroke. She is now bedridden
The family had the misfortune of renting one of the four flats in the house of Chief (Mrs.) Sola George, a PDP leader resident at Ayetoro, Ilesa. The landlady herself was completely destroyed as she could only salvage her life from the rampaging Ac elements. Mrs. George lost not only the Oluwanisola building. She lost all her vehicles including a pathfinder jeep.
Other tenants in that house had terrible tales of woe to tell. One of them lost her table water factory, vehicles and other equipment to the hoodlums.
The victims spoke with newsmen appealing to the Federal and State Governments to come to their assistance and relive the pain suffered as a result of the destruction of the properties running to millions of naira by the AC thugs.
Narrating his ordeal, one of the victims, Hon. Alesinloye Raheem of A.N. 21 Imadin Quarters Ilesa recalled that immediately after the announcement of the gubernatorial election results on April 15, some hoodlums identified as Action Congress supporters besieged his house carrying kegs of petrol and cutlasses and set fire on the two blocks and his vehicles.
Apart from his property valued at millions of naira, other valuables such as academic certificates, international passport and share certificates were also burnt.
Hon. Alesinloye added that the people later proceeded to his wife’s house at Omiran looting all the properties there. His father’s house was not also spared as it was razed to the ground.
He said he could identify those responsible for the destruction.
Another victim of the mayhem, Mrs. Sola George whose house at Oluwanisola Compound, Sawmill, Ayetoro, Ilesa and a jeep which was given to her by her son was also burnt down by those she identified as AC political thugs. Her total loss she put at 28 million naira . She said she heard the arsonists singing songs in praise of Mr. Rauf Aregbesola of the AC on the fateful day. She also appealed for help from the state and the federal government.
Also narrating her ordeal Miss. Modupeola Yusuf whose parents rented an apartment at Oluwasola quarters, Ilesa said they had been rendered homeless since then as all their properties were not spared by the arsonists adding that her mother suffered stroke as a result of the huge loss. While calling on the government to come to their aid, she said the culprits must not go unpunished.
In Osogbo, Ebenezer Adetunji Adeniyi was one of the twenty four tenants in a Shopping complex owned by a PDP chieftain. He lost sets of computer, printers, copiers and several other multi-million naira equipment. Other victims include Kemi Adejare, Omidiran Kolawole Justina Ahonsi, Longe Oluwaseun, Atoyebi Nureni, Oladepo Sehinde, and Olufintuyi Samuel. They all put their losses in millions of Naira while lamenting that the AC thugs put them in difficult conditions. They said they wanted help and justice. The perpetrators they said must not go unpunished.
These people are apart from those that could be described as the major casualties of the mayhem. The greatest of them were Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo who lost all his buildings including hs family house, Alhaji Adeleke Oduola, Late Alhaji Busari Baruwa, who had died weeks before the election, Fatai Adeleke, Dr Yemi Oladimeji, Barrister Dosu Babatunde, Alhaji Gani Ladiran, Hon Olukitibi and several others.
The victims have, however issued a joint statement calling for justice and help from the Federal and State Government.
The victims in a save-our-soul statement accused Action Congress supporters of trying to evade justice after burning down their property.
Eight of the victims in Osogbo and six from Ilesa, in separate statements said as a result of the mayhem, they could no longer meet their obligations to their families while those who destroyed their property were mocking them in the media.
“We feel constrained to cry out at this point in time to tell the whole world what we have suffered and are still suffering as victims of the acts of arson perpetrated by agents of the Action Congress after the release of the last April 14 election results.
“Some of us are indigenes while some are not. Some of us are politicians but many of us have nothing to do with politics. But when the Action Congress hoodlums struck on April 15, 2007, they destroyed all we laboured for.
“Now we cry for help. We cry for assistance. We also cry for justice. Some of us have been physically impaired for life as a result of the trauma of the loss. In fact there is the pathetic case of Mrs Christiana Yusuf of sawmill area, Ilesa who now has stroke following the mayhem.
“ Those who burnt and destroyed our properties are making wild allegations of harassment and intimidation by security agencies. They are even trying to pass the buck. Their leaders have stepped up media campaign crying of human rights. But we also have the right to the protection of our lives and to own property. Our rights have been viciously violated by the AC people,” they said.
The victims added that they had lost almost everything and that their children lost their certificates and other valuables that could not be quantified while some of them were just tenants not in any way connected with the conduct of the election “and yet AC thugs burnt down all we had spent our lives to build.”
They said justice must be done in the matter as all those connected with the destruction of their properties must be brought to book.
“They cannot willfully infringe on our fundamental rights to live and own property and be moving about Scot- free as if they are above the law simply because they have access to the media to make noise.
“We commend the promptness with which the state government responded to our plight by setting up a probe panel to look into the mayhem and recommend appropriate measures to reduce the pangs of our loss and sanction culprits. We urge the government not to abandon us in this hour of need while also calling on it to continue to support the police and other security agencies to bring the perpetrators of the mayhem and their sponsors to book.
“The security agencies have done well so far but we urge them not to succumb to the propaganda and blackmail daily oozing out of the mouths of AC leaders who apparently believe that they have the right to violate our own rights with impunity.
“We call for assistance while we also urge the police and the other security agencies to go the whole hog to put a stop to the habitual acts of lawlessness of the elements in the Action Congress,” they added.
They noted that there had been a deliberate campaign of dis-information lately in the media by those responsible for their plight adding that they were boasting of some newly found confidence somewhere. They therefore called on the police not to play into their hands because “they represent evil and their ways are evil.”
“We now live from hand to mouth. We can no longer pay the school fees of our children and wards. We can no longer meet our simple obligations to our families and yet sponsors of the destroyers of our property are making noise daily on the pages of newspapers and on Lagos Television stations as if they are above the law.
“It is therefore necessary for us to appeal to governments at all levels to look at our plight and help us. Like our counterparts in Osogbo said, we commend the leadership of the state under Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola for being responsible and responsive to the needs of all. We commend our governor for showing that lawlessness and brigandage are alien to our culture in Osun State . We also urge him not to be disturbed by the blackmail of these elements,” they pleaded.
