By Mayowa Olumuyiwa
The residents of Igbokoda community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State have taken to the street to protest against security operatives who allegedly set ablaze a pharmaceutical shop in the area while enforcing the curfew order by the state government.
It was gathered that the shop which belong to one Mrs Taiwo Omosehin, was allegedly set on fire at exactly 7:15 pm on Friday when the security operatives were enforcing the curfew order of the governor.
A source, who spoke to KAFTAN Post in anonymity, explained that some naval officers and other security agents allegedly visited the pharmacy shop with gallons of petrol to commit the act after chasing some people to the place earlier.
It was gathered that it took the combine efforts of the people of the area to rescue the children of the pharmacy shop owner, who were sleeping in the shop from being burnt in the fire.
The source said: “The naval officers returned with their senior officers to come and beg the owner of the shop after realising the havoc they wrecked. What we know is that the governor has not ordered anyone who flouted the curfew order to be killed nor his or her property be destroyed, rather, such person should be arrested and taken to court”.
“We appeal to Governor Akeredolu and all well-meaning people of the state not only to investigate and bring these overzealous arsonists who were ignorant of the order of the governor, to book, if found guilty but also to compensate this young woman so as to be able to bring back her pharmacy shop which was her only means of livelihood.”
Speaking to KAFTAN Post’s correspondence on the development, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Tee-Leo Ikoro, explained that security operatives comprising of the police and the naval officers were on a patrol in the area to enforce the curfew but denied that the security operatives never set the shop on fire.
According to him, “there was this woman frying beans cake and selling Indomine close to the burnt store and immediately she saw the security patrol team, left her shop and ran away leaving the gas cylinder she was using to fry.
“Before we knew it the thing caught fire and it spread to the medicine store and it was the same naval officers that put off the fire.”
He, however, said the command had begun an investigation into the matter.
It would be recalled that the Ondo State governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu in his address to the state residents on Tuesday, April 14 announced a dusk to dawn curfew in the state as part of measures to prevent further spread of the covid-19 pandemic.
