The news of attacks on SOB Agunbiade’s house was so pathetic and very disturbing, given its gory details. I never thought any human being will be so uncanny and cruel to attack a fellow human in that manner. Only a vicious criminal would carry a dastardly act as robbing a man to every bit of items in the house. The group of hoodlums, who attacked the Lawmaker’s house, took away valuable items, vandalized the ones they couldn’t remove and returned with plans to burn down the five bedroom apartment.
The marauders ransacked SOB’s apartment, plunged everything they found, ranging from cash, wears, furniture, electronic gadgets, food stuff stocked in the closet, kitchen utensils, and anything they came across. They charged on to the warehouse close to his wife’s house, broke into the store and emptied all the relief items arranged for sharing among widows by weekend. According to SOB, some of the relief items were received from the house for onward distribution to vulnerable families in his constituency and he purchased more to augment the relief material and planned on giving them to the beneficiaries on Sunday 25, October 2020. The plan was to package the relief items plus fifty thousand naira for each widow in his constituency. He chose the date for the disbursement and distribution because it falls on his birthday.
The miscreants didn’t end there but went on to constitute nuisance on a twelve flat building owned by SOB’s wife on the next street to his house. The hoodlums robbed the tenants of their valuable items and threatened to burn down the terraced building at night. The scared tenants had to run for their lives by evacuating their family and the few belongings.
The level of damages done to the parliamentarian is so disheartening that many close friends advised that SOB should not be allowed to visit the sites of his vandalized properties, to prevent him from having a heart attack. It was a scene of a man, who will have to start all over again in life. Close friends and family members have stopped him from seeing the rubbles of what was left of his house and store.
I’m still wondering what could get to people’s mind and stir them towards a man like SOB Agunbiade, who had passionately served Ikorodu for over twelve years now. A man who had consistently fought hard for Ikorodu constituency to get a fair share of the dividends of democracy. For years now, SOB had argued and for the people of Ikorodu at the State House of Assembly and brought many benefits to the people. He has a regular package for widows, orphans and students in the constituency while also making huge donations to public utilities. During the peak of the corona virus pandemic, even when he was trapped overseas due to closing down of airports, SOB ordered his staff to share food items to people in his constituency.
Surprisingly, some of the looters, who broke into his house, were neighbouring mothers and house wives who live few doors away. They went in with the mob to take what they could find, damaged his cars and ensured that they didn’t leave any valuable item untouched. Some hoodlums broke into Cubano’s home to loot and vandalize his house. Others also moved to desecrate the house of Bashorun Olorunfunmi; luckily, he was able to repel the marauders with ample security forces.
I am deeply saddened by this horrendous events unfolding in our community. How could some politicians take advantage of the situation to send attackers on their fellow indigene? What will they gain at the end of everything? This is not the time for playing dirty politics; we have to put our house and community in order and look for a way forward. We must realise that if we allow our house to be divided, the strangers in our midst will reap the benefit.
I pray that what happened to SOB Agunbiade would not happen to any of us and may we never experience such devastating attack in our life time. It is SOB today, it could be anyone tomorrow. For God’s sake, let’s abandon the politics of bitterness in Ikorodu Division, because if we don’t, we all will suffer for it.
SOB’s enemy will not wish to experience the level of destruction lodged on him few days ago. I sympathize with him and his family. The consolation is that he is still alive. All the properties destroyed and stolen are not worth his life. Like he courageously said in his recent speech, let all the malignant people involved in the savage attack be judged by God. The annoying thing again was that the hoodlums returned at night to set the house on fire but were repelled by some humane neighbours.
Information reaching me, which security agents must take note, is that some evil mongers are plotting an attack on our politicians and their properties. These unpatriotic elements must be prevented before they strike again. I, therefore, urge the public to be vigilant and be on the guard. Today, there is tension everywhere and that tension must be doused so that our Ikorodu town will not be consumed by its bad eggs from within.
The Kabieyesi, Alaiyeluwa HRM, Oba Kabiru Shotobi, has appealed to everyone to be vigilant and make effort to salvage the situation. He reminded all and sundry that this town is our only hope; there is no second home for us. Hence, we must not allow mongrels jeopardize our peace and unity. My heartfelt condolences goes to the affected men, especially SOB and many others affected in the attack. May Allah help them recover from the loss and keep us all safe from evil forces ravaging the community.