Several residents of Esa-Oke in Osun State, along with about seven police officers, were injured on Monday when unidentified assailants opened fire on them.

While some residents reported that the attackers were dressed in black and arrived in a bus, others, speaking anonymously to avoid being targeted, claimed the assailants were hoodlums hired by factions disputing the appointment of a monarch for Ido Ajegunle.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, in a conversation with The PUNCH, stated that the police officers were on their way to Esa-Oke in response to a distress call when the attack occurred.

Opalola said, “Seven police officers were shot, and one of them sustained a neck injury. They were heading to Esa-Oke when they encountered a barricade. As they attempted to remove it, some individuals began shooting at them. One officer was hit in the neck. However, we have deployed additional personnel to the area.”

Last Wednesday, the Osun State Government appointed a United Kingdom-based information and telecommunications expert, Prince Timileyin Oluyemi Ajayi, as the Olojudo of Ido Ajegunle.

Shortly after his appointment was announced, residents of Esa-Oke, who claim Ido Ajegunle is a village under the authority of the Owamiran of Esa-Oke, Oba Adeyemi Adediran, staged a protest. They argued that the newly appointed royal father is an indigene of Ilesa.

Tensions over the matter reportedly escalated last Friday when Esa-Oke indigenes held a peaceful protest against Ajayi’s appointment.

However, the situation worsened on Monday when individuals travelling in a bus towards the Esa-Oke Police Divisional Office allegedly opened fire on residents.

Footage obtained from locals showed five individuals covered in blood, reportedly shot by the assailants.

A resident, identified as Oladele, linked the shooting to Ajayi’s appointment, which he said was against the wishes of Esa-Oke indigenes.

“The attackers were suspected hoodlums travelling in a bus. They were heading towards the Esa-Oke Police Divisional Headquarters on Monday when they began shooting at people.

“The attack is connected to the appointment of an indigene of Ilesa as the new monarch for Ido Ajegunle, a village under Esa-Oke. Esa-Oke residents staged a protest after the state government announced the appointment,” Oladele said.

When contacted, the spokespersons for the Osun Amotekun Corps, Yusuf Idowu, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Kehinde Adeleke, confirmed that their organisations had deployed operatives to the scene.