From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
Property worth millions of naira were on Saturday at Ewune-Egume village in Dekina Local government area of Kogi state destroyed by some suspected bandits that invaded the community.
It was a horrific scene at Ewune-Egume community on Saturday when suspected bandits launched an attack on the peace loving people of Ewune.
An eye witness told newsmen that a group of young boys heavily armed stormed the community in trucks, tipper and started shooting sporadically, causing chaos which led to the entire people in the village to abandon their property and took to their heels for safety.
It was gathered that on hearing gunshots, the beaded chief of the community, the Ochai Onu-Egume, Chief Olema Akpali was said to have fainted and hospitalized in one of the clinics in the area.
Our Correspondent who visited the community report that some household appliances, water tanks and houses were destroyed even as the arsonists drank all the beers and beverages in some restaurants and destroyed empty bottles.
The Community leader, Mr. Matthew Audu, said the bandits/ Thugs invaded the community in five trucks with AK 47 rifles, went away with some domestic animals, 200 Jericans of palm oil, 13 motorcycles and set ablaze other motorcycles while other valuable property were destroyed.
Audu said that people of the community reported several threats by this group to the Divisional Police Office Egume and their incessant invasions on Ewune farms by a group of Saw millers suspected to have emerged from Ofu local government area of Kogi state.
He said when the alleged Saw millers of Ejule were, however, confronted over the wanton and indiscriminate felling of their Iroko and economic trees, they allegedly claimed that the government of governor Yahaya Bello was aware of their activities in the forest.
It was also gathered that these groups of people have been invading the community at will, drink beer in their restaurants freely, kill their domestic animals whenever they were hungry and move away from the community unhurt.
Some members of the community suspected that the posting on Facebook of the recent invasion of this group who were on a free drink at a restaurant in the community, that went viral on social media irked the group’s attack on the community.
In his reaction, the chairman of the security committee of Egume Community, Hon. Gowon Omale condemned the destruction at Ewune-Egume community, describing it as a terrorist acts.
He said efforts must be intensified to forward the matter to the Authority concern to avoid future
occurrence.
When contacted, the Kogi state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Williams Ayah who confirmed the story said some people actually invaded the village looted property and destroyed many.
He further disclosed that normalcy has since returned to Ewune community as policemen have since been deployed to the area to maintain peace as efforts are being intensified to bring perpetrators to book.
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