After a carnival celebration allegedly turned bloody yesterday in Igbaye town, Odo-Otin Local Government Area, Osun state, one person was reportedly killed.
Yesterday afternoon, while some youths were celebrating carnival in the town, a misunderstanding between two groups in the community is said to have occurred.
According to one source, the crisis was caused by a dispute over the community monarchy, while another resident claimed it was simply a celebration gone wrong among the town’s youth.
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According to an eyewitness, Rasheed Damola, the crisis began at the carnival grounds after an argument between two groups within the event’s venue escalated into a free-for-all.
“Some people began throwing bottles, clubs, and stones at the event as those present scrambled for safety.”
Suddenly, some people began shooting, and one person was injured as a result. He was rushed to an Okuku hospital but died before being treated,” he said.
However, another source, Atanda Adeola, revealed that the root of the crisis was a dispute over the town’s royal stool, and that the carnival was merely an excuse to reignite the division caused by the dispute.
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“There was a crisis over the community stool that parties had not forgotten for years,” he explained. “So, when a minor misunderstanding arose at the carnival between some groups, gladiators over the stool took over the crisis and began shooting at each other.” “There was one person caught in the crossfire.”
Attempts to contact the town’s traditional ruler were unsuccessful because his phone number was said to be switched off.
Meanwhile, while confirming the incident, Osun Police Command spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola, said police have been deployed to restore normalcy in the troubled community.
She would not confirm the number of people killed, but she did say that the town’s law and order had been restored, and that police were still patrolling the area.
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“Since then, Mr Olawale Olokode, the Commissioner of Police, has ordered the deployment of personnel to the town, and normalcy has been restored,” she said.
“We also have our smoke detectors in your kitchen that help you turn on and off your gas.”
