By Ibrahim Kegbegbe
In a shocking turn of events on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, the Bullion Hotel in Shimawa became the stage for a harrowing mystery as over 20 political thugs, allegedly led by three police officers, stormed the establishment. The incident unfolded around 8 a.m., leaving both staff and guests traumatized.
The assailants, who identified themselves as boys of Alowonle of Shimawa, the chairman of the motorcycle (Okada) riders, launched a brutal attack on the hotel’s security guards, employees, and guests. They brazenly looted personal belongings, creating an atmosphere of chaos and terror.
The head of the company’s legal team, Barrister Isaac Izunya, said the Nigeria Police Force has left all the rules of engagement and now begun to deteriorate in knowledge, and therefore rather than saving citizens they have become cancerous to citizens and are shamelessly lending helping hands to cultists and criminal to Perpetuate and execute their criminal activities.
“In order to save the uniform of the Force we call on the Commissioner of Police, Ogun state, and Police the disciplinary department to investigate and sieve away this bad officer in other to save the image of the Force and thereby properly secure the safety of life and properties of Nigerians,” he said.
The information gathered by our correspondent, made us understand what made the incident even more alarming was the involvement of police officers in the attack. The officers not only facilitated the thugs but also harassed 2 security men who were watching television by slapping them and pulling them up with their uniforms.
Crucially, the hotel’s CCTV system captured the identities of both the thugs and the police officers involved in the attack, providing critical evidence for the investigation.
One of the thugs issued a chilling warning, stating, “We are still coming back to fight you, and we must kill at least three persons.” He also claimed that Shimawa belonged to the APC (All Progressives Congress), and anyone opposing this political party, including the hotel owner, Ajadi, should leave the area.
According to Jamiu Opeyemi, one of the security officers, a similar attack on September 5, 2023, when a group of thugs, some disguised as soldiers, stormed the Bullion Hotel.
Opeyemi said that during that incident, Taiwo Lawal, a security guard, was gravely injured while attempting to protect Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi, the hotel’s CEO and a gubernatorial candidate for the 2023 general election in Ogun State under the political party NNPP.
“It was the hotel’s intelligence officers who played a crucial role in the arrest of Nwokparo Offor, one of the assailants from the September attack. However, rather than detaining Offor, the security personnel who apprehended him were arrested and charged,” he said.
Ambassador Ajadi, visibly boarderd by the persistent attacks on his hotel and his person, has called for an investigation into the role of the Shimawa police station in the latest attack.
He asserted that these incidents would not deter his efforts to champion the welfare of Nigerian youths.
He said, “They can never stop my action as the voice of the Nigerian youths whose actions are to work on the progress of welfare of the poor and vulnerable youths.”
“The police officers that slapped the security guards while watching television should be penalized for such action.
“These boys are always found in the Secondary School in Shimawa initiating themselves into nefarious activities and terrorizing innocent people in the town,” he said.
Ajadi moved further to call upon the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, that the authority from the Shimawa police station for interrogation for the invasion of Bullion hotel with thugs.
The Bullion Hotel bore the brunt of the attack, with all its rooms ransacked, and the main entrance severely damaged to gain access to the premises.
Among the items looted were phones, a substantial sum of money, and numerous power banks used for charging mobile devices.
Shockingly, five hotel security personnel were arrested during the commotion.
Soji Ileyemi; Adedayo Opeyemi; Dauda Yusuf and Temitope Makinde are part of the security officers available during the police and the thug’s invasion. Moreover, Temitope Olajide who is the fifth person among the people arrested is the Bullion Entertainment manager.
As the investigation unfolds, the people of Shimawa remain on edge, concerned about the escalating political violence that has rocked their community. The call for justice and accountability in this matter is now stronger than ever, as residents anxiously await the outcome of the police investigation into this shocking incident.