Sport minister, Soun, others scamper for safety as thugs invade Ogbomosho palace

Nigeria’s Sports Minister Sunday Dare, the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Oladunni Oyewumi, and other chiefs on Sunday scampered for safety as thugs invade Ogbomosho palace.

The minister in a tweet said the Ogbomoso-Hoodlums and thugs disrupted a stakeholder meeting in Soun’s palace stoning and breaking doors, glasses.

“The hoodlums broke into the palace and destroyed chairs, overturned tables, broke windows,” Dare tweeted.

“These were not Youth or Students. These were miscreants and thugs who saw a window of opportunity in the protest which since abated,” he added.

The minister said a combined team of operation Burst from Ibadan and a unit from Iliorin are now on the ground in Ogbomoso to help keep the peace, protect the peaceful and innocent, and also stop criminal elements.

Tension has since risen in Ogbomosho since a bystander was shot and killed in Ogbomoso on Saturday by the policemen dispersing #EndSARS protesters.

It was unclear if Jimoh Isiaq was among the young Nigerians protesting against police brutality before he was shot. He was rushed to Bowen University Teaching Hospital where he died while receiving treatment.

But pictures shared on Twitter showed him standing by the roadside, many metres away from the policemen. He was unarmed.

His bloodied corpse has since been buried.

Protests began earlier in the week in different parts of Nigeria over continued harassment of young people by the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad – SARS. The protestors are demanding the disbandment of the unit.

Members of the squad have been accused of crimes such as extrajudicial killings, kidnapping, extortion, and intimidation.

Adamu on Sunday, announced the disbandment of SARS, following days of online and offline protests.

But while the news was welcomed by jubilant protesters, they vowed to continue marching in their demands to end police brutality in all forms and make rogue officers accountable.