By Timothy Nwachi
Residents of Iree town in Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State are living in fear following a recent attack on a Nigerian Army soldier, which has raised concerns about possible reprisal attacks.
In an unsettling incident that occurred at the Poly Junction area of Iree, an unidentified soldier in Nigerian Army camouflage was assaulted and left wounded by a group of hoodlums. The cause of the altercation that led to the attack remains unclear, and bystanders refrained from intervening due to fears of reprisals from the assailants.
According to an anonymous trader at Poly Junction, “The incident happened today. I don’t know what happened between the hoodlums and the soldier, but I saw them beating him. We were even begging the hoodlums to leave him. The hoodlums were led by one Gbedu, a notorious thug in the town. They beat the soldier and left him drenched in his blood.”
Some soldiers later arrived at the scene and took the wounded soldier away. However, the incident has left the local population apprehensive about potential reprisal attacks by the military, leading to the closure of shops and residents, including students of the polytechnic, remaining indoors.
Kehinde Adeleke, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Osun Command, confirmed the incident, stating, “Some miscreants in Iree attacked some personnel of the Nigerian Army who were on a mission to Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, and wounded some of them. What led to the attack was still sketchy.” The situation continues to be a cause for concern in Iree town.