By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Members of a sociocultural organisation, who are indigenes of the ancient town of Osogbo in Osun State, living in Kwara State, under the aegis of Concerned Oroki Elite Group, have expressed grave concern over continued rise in armed robbery attacks and other violent crimes in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

In a statement by the Director of Communication of the organisation, Engr. Ahmad Olanrewaju, the group called on the state government and security agencies to urgently intervene and rescue the community from the grip of these unscrupulous bandits.

The organisation, which urged swift action, said the victims of the armed robbery attacks had narrated their tales of woes in the hands of these criminals, including deaths of their loved ones and loss of properties.

The people said efforts should be intensified to bring the culprits to book, adding that crimes and criminality had festered in the area because perpetrators usually evade arrest.

The statement narrated how an unknown group of people launched a vicious attack on Mr. Olukunle Amos Fagbemi’s family at exactly 9:00pm on December 12, 2023 at his house situated at Zone-12, Oke Arungbo area, Cosigning.

According to an eyewitness of the incident, who is the son of the victim, Oladayo Peter Fagbemi, now living abroad, no fewer than five people were in the house during the attack, adding that the armed robbery gang set the house and a car in the compound ablaze apparently because they could not get their target or see enough items to take away.

“All thanks to some of our neighbours that came to rescue us after the property was set on fire”, he said, adding that their patriarch suffered a panic attack and was rushed to the hospital.

Oladayo, who said that all the victims of the attack sustained fractures and varying degrees of injury, was happy that no life was lost in the dastardly incident.

The eyewitness said the incident had left members of the family with some unanswered questions, like, “was this really a robbery attack, or a deliberate attack on the family as a whole or a targeted attack on one of the victim’s sons?

“The medical doctor in the hospital which dad was rushed to, Dr. B.O. Alabi, confirmed to us that dad was a known hypertensive and diabetic patient in the hospital. He said that dad was rushed in at 9:58pm in a comatose state and he’s yet to respond to treatment.”

Also speaking, another eye witness in the area that sought anonymity, said the criminals had probably come for the son of Mr. Fagbemi, who the source said had already travelled out of the country about a week ago.