Protest as naval officers kill three in Arepo, Ogun state

There was tension in Arepo, in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State on Wednesday after some naval officers allegedly killed three residents.

The victims, identified as Biodun Mohammed, Chicagoand Body, were said to have been rounded up on Sunday at a beer parlour in the area.

The men were said to have been taken away and shot dead.

Viewers discretion strongly advised (Two of the dead body allegedly killed by Naval officers) 

Family members and friends of the victims, who found their corpses on Wednesday, blocked the only entrance into the Arepo community, preventing vehicular movements in and out. The situation created traffic jam on the road, which spilled onto the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

When our correspondent visited the scene of the alleged execution in Voera Estate, it was observed that the corpses had become bloated just as stench pervaded the air.

While two of the men were taken across a wooden bridge into the creek where they were shot, the last corpse was found inside a bush where flies were feasting on it.

As of 4pm on Wednesday, policemen from the Ibafo division had surrounded the place and stopped people from coming to gaze at the corpses.

It was learnt that 24-year-old Mohammed, an indigene of Ogun State, resided in Sagamu, Ogun State.

His widow, Motunrayo, said she confronted the military officers when they arrested her husband on Sunday.

She said, “On Sunday around 7pm, the military officers numbering about seven came to the restaurant where my husband was with a friend. I can identify two of them as Jason and Ola. I asked them what his offence was, but Jason asked me to keep quiet.

“He pointed a gun at me and threatened to shoot me dead if I moved closer. He did not allow my husband or his friend to utter a word. They took them away.

“I went to report at the soldiers’ base in Ebute and they said they were not holding my husband. But this morning, some landlords in Voera Estate, where he was killed, came to inform me that they had found his corpse in the bush.”

The third victim was earlier arrested on Sunday. It was learnt that Mohammed was into furniture making. His mother, Safura, said the 24-year-old had come to Arepo to celebrate Easter with his family when the incident happened.

“I was the one that called him on Saturday that he should come to Arepo to celebrate Easter with us.

“On Sunday morning, he washed his clothes and ate. In the evening, he went to the restaurant when he was arrested. The soldiers took them from there and went to kill them in the forest,” she added.

Safura lamented that her son was killed in cold blood, calling for justice for him.

A resident, Jide Olorunsola, said the naval authorities killed the men in the creek to cover up the crime and make it appear that was where they were caught.

“They made it appear like they were vandals and that they caught them in the creek and shot them dead,” he said.

Another resident, who did not identify himself, accused the military of highhandedness in Arepo, asking the authorities to curtail their excesses.

He said, “If they find you outside at 9pm, they will harass you for no just cause. They go beyond their boundaries and even go as far as extorting money from residents.”

There was almost a confrontation with some OP MESA operatives at the Arepo gate as families of the victim insisted their patrol van would not go out.

Punch