By Michael Ofulue& Solomon Runsewe

Residents of Oloogede area in Akure Ondo State capital now live in perpetual fear over incessant armed robbery attacks on innocent people who have reportedly lost thousands of naira and personal property to the hoodlums.
Some unknown gunmen had last week Wednesday shot dead an okada man who came to drop a passenger at the area along Oda road of the state.
The Hope Metro gathered that the assailants killed the motorcyclist around 8pm, after which they raided over five houses, including shops simultaneously.
Speaking with our correspondents, Mr Ola Amure, the chairman of Landlords, Landladies & Residents Association, Olofinade Layout Zone B, off Ologede Bus stop, Oda road Akure, told our correspondents that the unfortunate incident occurred around 8pm on Wednesday night.
He said the robbery attack happened when people of the community were just returning from their working places.
“I was in my living room when we heard the sound of a gun shot and the whole people of the community became scared.
“The robbers operated for almost an hour as they ransacked houses, shops and robbed people of their goods and money.
“After the incident, I put a call across to the Area Commander’s office. Some policemen from Oda division and some military personnel visited the scene, but before their arrival, the hoodlums who raided with motorcycle had gone,’” he explained.
He described the incident as unfortunate attributing the recent upsurge in crime and criminality in Akure metropolis to the consequences of EndSARS protest and the just concluded election in the state where guns were given to wrong hands.
He called on the police to mop up illegal guns from the public and regulate the operation of motorcycles operations in the state, adding that all recent armed robbery incidents were done by hoodlums who operated with motorbikes.
He further called on relevant security agencies to rise up to their lawful responsibilities to protect lives and property of the innocent people of the State.
The lawyer added that Oloogede is a few kilometers from defunct SARS office in Oda road.
Another eyewitness and one of the victims of the robbery who spoke with The Hope Metro, Mrs Damilola Orenisile, described the incident as very sad and unpleasant experience.
She said, the incident happened around 8pm when she was still in her shop located in front of her house.
She stated that, the whole thing just happened suddenly as the robbers chased her children inside the house while asking her “where is the money”.
In the process, they hit and slapped me and also hit my husband on his forehead with their guns.
She said, all her money, recharge cards and other valuables were taken away, and later they heard gun shots three times from the robbers who wore masks and were between 16 and 17 years old.
Another eyewitness, who was the passenger on the bike of the deceased, Alhaji Akinade, told The Hope Metro that the okada rider was killed when he refused the gunmen who operated with motorcycle.
”The bike man was stopped by the gunmen who asked for money. I gave them all what I had and the bike man was begging them that he had nothing with him as he just paid part of his instalment from Max Okada he collected from the government.
”As he was begging them, they asked him to face the ground. Later I heard the sound of gun shots three times.
He narrated that after some time, he rose up to call on the Okada man, but what he could noticed was that he had been shot in the eyes and chest.
Another victim, Miss Daodu Angela, who was hit on the neck by a stray bullet of the robbers, told The Hope Metro that the robbers attacked her mother’s shop and collected all their money.
She said: ”After that, we heard the sound of gun and all I knew was that I was hit by one of the flying bullets.
Miss Angela, was later rushed to the hospital by her parents and treated,
She said the robbers were about three in number, saying one came inside her mother’s shop while two others were outside all armed with short guns.
Sources said the same ‘modus operadi’ was used in killing a business man, late Chukwudi from Enugu State at Sijuwade area in Akure few weeks ago.
The Hope Metro investigation revealed that, it was three weeks after the EndSars protests that the robbers began terrorizing innocent people around Oda road as the police were yet to resume back to their duty posts.
Similarly, the Bursar of the Ondo State owned Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Mr. Adejuwon Matthew on Wednesday escaped abduction narrowly.
He escaped from being abducted when kidnappers struck by Waterworks/Upenmen Road, Owo, Ondo State.
The kidnappers were said to have fired shots at him while trying to escape from the scene.
According to the spokesman of the Polytechnic, Mr Samuel Ojo, Adejuwon left the campus after working hours and headed for Akungba-Akoko in Akoko South-West Local Government Area of the state.
He noted that Adejuwon ran into some herdsmen crossing the highway with their cattle apparently to stop vehicles on the highway.
Ojo said Adejuwon’s driver managed to maneuver through before cattle could cover the entire highway.
It was at that moment he said gunshots were fired from the supposed herdsmen which impaled the car of the bursar but they escaped being hit by the bullets.
It will be recalled that persons including market women were abducted along the Owo-Akure highway.
Men of the Ondo State Police Command rescued 10 and the other six were abducted and released after five days in the kidnappers den having paid the sum of N5m ran notice.