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The Igangan Development Advocates has said it received an intelligence report that armed bandits were planning to attack Igangan town before or on the day of Eid-el-Kabir.
The President of the group, Wale Oladokun, who said this in a statement on Saturday, said it alerted state offices in charge of security but “nothing was done to prevent the attack”.
Oladokun spoke shortly after the coordinator of the Oodua People’s Congress in Oyo State, Rotimi Olumo, told our correspondent that he also issued a statement on the attack and advised government to beef up security in Ibarapaland.
The IDA said suspected Fulani gunmen dressed in Customs uniform invaded Igangan, Ayete and Igboora again on Friday night and killed some persons, including an officer of Amotekun.
He, however, stated that there were plans already to twist what happened and blame residents of Ibarapa for attacking Customs officers.
He said, “The IDA had earlier warned the relevant offices of the state government in charge of the security of the state of the impending attack when it categorically submitted that a reliable “intel” was received that there was going to be an attack on Igangan before the Ileya Festival ( Eid el Kabir).
“It is now very obvious by the singular action of these armed bandits whom have unchecked access to government apparatuses such as Customs’ uniforms and sophisticated weapons that the people of Ibarapa have clearly become pawns in the hands of the kingly sects of the sacred cow’s extraction – the untouchable first class citizens.
“Government should either face the fact of this submission by the IDA or admit total failure and incompetence than struggling to subject this recent bloody attack to propagandist facts’ distortion.”
Oladokun explained that the group had to come out to puncture the alleged planned post-attack propaganda, which he said might come from the government that Customs officers on legal duty were attacked by Ibarapa people.
“Having dressed like Customs officers, the story has been preplanned to be distorted right from the outset by these armed bandits suspected to be Fulani.
“Government may wake up and claim that Customs officers on official duty have been attacked by residents of Igangan while discharging their duties,” he added.
