By KELVIN BRIGHT
Call it carnage before the dust and you are damn right. That’s what October 22, 2020 was – a black Thursday to the entire people of Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State who woke up to see black smoke billowing into the sky and visible throughout the city.
That day, hoodlums descended on the sleeping town like the invading army of locusts and wreaked unforgettable havoc. They destroyed all the legacies including buildings left behind by the colonial masters in what an eye-witness refers to as Harmageddon.
One week after the holocaust, The Crest visited the town to assess the extent of damage and behold, the entire place is still in ruins. The Chairman of the Council, Hon Igbekele Akinrinwa was still in shock and had had to spend the days after the carnage shuttling between his house and the hospitals to see his doctors as his blood pressure has shot up to the roof top.
“The hoodlums caught us unawares,” a bewildered Hon Akinrinwa said. “We had information on Wednesday October 28 that there would be EndSARS protest in the town and I immediately swang into action. I pressed the buttons and confirmed the people behind it and I called them for a meeting even though only two of the leaders live in Okitipupa. The others live in Ikoya, and two in Igbokoda, another local government headquarters.
“We warned them of the dire consequences of staging a protest two days after the Lekki Tollgate saga between the army and the protesting youths in Lagos. They all agreed with me that they were going to call off the protest only to be told in the midnight that the other people refused to stop.
“ I contacted the army, the police and Amotekun and they were ready to stop it. But as early as 8am on that Thursday, I received a call that the protesters were over 4,000 and they were ferried from the neighbouring towns. The went straight to the Local Government, looted the place and set all the buildings ablaze. They burnt all the shuttle buses and the legislative chamber.”
Hon Akinrinwa barely managed to hold back tears as he revealed that nothing was left to show that there was governance in the area before.
“I am confused,” he said. “Where do I start again? Nothing is left to show that there was a local council in the place before. All records were razed. Even the historic compendium on the local government from 1900 was burnt. The book is over 10,000 pages preserved and treasured by all the past administrations.
“We can’t even issue a birth certificate or state of origin certificate now unless you go to Akure. It’s that bad.”
The Chairman was quick to add that the wanton destruction was politically motivated stressing that preliminary investigation has revealed that a politician imported and gave the hoodlums N20 million to destroy the entire headquarters.
The paramount ruler of Okitipupa, the Jegun of Idepe corroborated what the Chairman said though he is yet to recover from the shock and the extent of destruction by the hoodlum. But the Kabiyesi was convinced that the perpetrators and their sponsors would be punished physically by the laws of the land and spiritually by the norms and tradition of the Ikale people.
He revealed that the council of Obas in the local government met and invoked the spirit of the ancestors to visit the marauders and their sponsors, even to their third generations.
“Yes, they have done the damage, but our ancestors will catch up with them,” the Kabiyesi said. “I am sure that the consequences will be heavy on them and it won’t go beyond this year.”
What was left of the police station and their quarters were mere ashes and the collapsing walls. There was not even a soul to answer questions from the reporter and a team of the Ikale Heritage Development Association led by Martins Okunfolami from Lagos. The officers were said to have held rapid dialogue with their legs after seeing the large army of invasion. They are still stiff scared to return from wherever they have run for coffer.
The story is more pathetic at the Nigerian Correctional Service along the Idepe Road at the southern end of the town where the hoodlums released the inmates, destroyed everything at sight and looted the place blind.
One of the warders who would not want his name mentions told The Crest that he had never thought in his wildest imagination that such devastation could happen. Not in Okitipupa of all places. Even, in spite of the 1983 political upheaval and the wanton killings and destruction in other towns in Ondo State, not even a pin was burnt in Okitipupa.
“I have watched a number of horror movies but never have I seen such a heartless bunch of youths. They forced their way into the prison and lined up children in the front. They were over 4,000 and they went straight to the kitchen and store, looted the place, had nice breakfast with all the available food stuff before they opened the iron bar to set free the 58 inmates in the place.”
One week after, only three of the inmates had return on their own volition while two others were arrested at Ore, about 30 kilometres to Okitipupa. In all, there were just five inmates left. But the snag right now is how to keep and sustain the returnees as the warders have to rely on the kindness of concerned visitors who assist with food, drugs and cash.
According to information made available to The Crest, the hoodlum left the prison for the High Court and raised the entire premises
“We learnt that some of the deadly criminals released from the prisons have their cases still pending at the High Court . So the best way not to see any traces is to burn the place and render the files, records and computers into ashes,” our informant said.
The hoodlums thereafter invaded the INEC office and carted away 78 new generators used for the October 10, gubernatorial election in the state. Next was the Legion and Pension office, the Nigeria Air Space Department, one of the political juggernauts in the town, Ife Oyedele’s building and set all ablaze.
According to the Local Government Chairman, a number of the hoodlums have been arrested and some of the looted items, police uniforms and riffles recovered adding that the leaders are still hiding.
Like the Kabiyesi, the chairman concurred that the hoodlums have dug their own graves and soon they will come to terms with their nemesis.
