Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen in fake military and Customs uniform on Friday night invaded Igangan and Igboora in Ibarapa North local government area of Oyo state and the Commander of Amotekun in Ibarapa Central with others feared dead.
The attack came few days after Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) raised alarm of alleged plans by Wakili boys to invade Igangan and other towns in Ibarapaland to attack residence in the area on or before Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.
It was learnt that the said gunmen stormed Igangan around 7pm on Friday, shooting sporadically, thereby creating panic in and across the town.
Sources in the town said the local hunters, Vigilante groups in Igangan immediately engaged the gunmen which forced them to hurriedly desert the town amidst shooting fleeing towards Igboora.
The gunmen were said to have opened fire on arriving Igboora on sighting Amotekun operatives and local hunters as well as vigilante groups in an effort to escape towards the Ogun state axis.
Blueprint gathered that it was during the shootout that the Àmotekun commander was hit by one of the bullets on the head and died with few others sustaining injuries.
The convener Igangan Development Advocate, Comrade Oladiran Oladokun, who is based in Igangan confirmed the attack, while the Oyo state Police command is yet to issue a statement on the attack.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Customs Service Federal Operation Unit (FOU) on Saturday cleared the air on the bloody clash in Igangan and Igboora on Friday night.
The Service alleged the attack was an unprovoked attack on its operatives by smugglers.
According to Customs FOU Zone A Public Relations Officer, Theophilus Duniya, during the clash, three Customs FOU operatives and a soldier on duty were injured.
He said the injured Customs Officers while on duty “sighted eight trucks carrying smuggled foreign parboiled rice whose drivers and armed accompanying passengers launched attack on the officers in Igbo Ora at about 8:00pm.”
The Customs FOU Zone A PRO said all the attacked Customs Officers and soldier, including one that was shot in the head, are receiving treatment.
