Curfew: Protest in Ondo community over alleged burning of medicine store

DAMISI OJO,Akure

Tension rose in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje local government area of Ondo State over the weekend when some residents staged a peaceful protest to demand justice and compensation for the owner of a Medicine Store allegedly set ablaze by men of the Nigerian Navy few days ago.

The protest was staged by some residents against the Naval officers over the incident.

They appealed to the government to intervene in the medicine seller’s matter.

According to the protesters, their appeal was not only to bring the perpetrators to book but also to compensate the woman in order to restore her medicine store.

Carrying placards of different inscriptions, the protesters were in different groups of less than 10 each – in observing the social distancing on covid-19 orders.

They appealed to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to intervene urgently.

Last Thursday , a group of security officers led by Igbokoda naval officers was alleged have set a medicine store belonging to Mrs. Taiwo Omosehin on fire on the excuse that the shop was not closed on or before 7pm on the orders of the state government dusk to dawn curfew(7pm-7am).

The protesters, who said that they witnessed the arson, said that the security men got to the place at around 7:15pm and on seeing that the shop was still being opened, drenched the shop with the gallon of petrol and put fire immediately.

They said they were helpless in putting off the fire because the officers were still around.

The aggrieved protesters, who said that the shop was the woman’s only means of livelihood, pleaded with Akeredolu and well-meaning people to intervene in the woman’s plight for fairness.

They argued that the woman had not even contravened the order of the Governor as what she was selling were among the exempted products.

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