» Hoodlums Beat Up & Injure Worshippers During Church Service In Osun «

Worshipers at the Divine Victory Evangelical Church of God
Gospel Ministry last Sunday escaped death by a whisker
as hoodlums armed with guns and other dangerous
weapons invaded the church, beat them up and injured
some.
Our correspondent gathered that one of the youths at Isale
Agbara in Ita Olokan area of Osogbo where the church is
located was seen defecating very close to the church and
was challenged by some of the worshippers.
The youth was said to have left the place in anger and
went and mobilised some hoodlums who were armed with
guns, cutlasses and other weapons. The hoodlums, on
getting to the church, unleashed terror on the worshipers
during service. The incident happened on Sunday January
31st, 2016.
Some of the youths in the church were said to have
engaged the hoodlums in a fight but they were
overpowered and some of them were reportedly injured by
the hoodlums.
A resident of the area, who identified himself simply as
Taye, told our correspondent in Osogbo on Saturday that
the service was disrupted as most of the worshipers fled
the scene of the incident after about 10 of them had been
injured by the rampaging hoodlums.
He said, “I heard that one of the area boys went to
defecate close to the church and he was chased away by
the church members.
The boy was said to have gone and brought some of his
colleagues to come and attack the church.
” Some of the church members were injured by the area
boys but the arrival of the officials of the National Security
and Civil Defence Corps prevented the hoodlums from
destroying the church completely and even killing some of
the worshippers.”
The Head, Public Relations and Protocol Unit of the NSCDC
in Osun State, Mr. Wale Folarin, confirmed the incident
while speaking on the telephone with our correspondent.
He said seven of the attackers were arrested and weapons
including a locally made gun were recovered from them.
Folarin said, “The timely intervention of officers and men
of the Civil Defence prevented the fracas from escalating.
“Hoodlums and other trouble makers are warned not to
jeopardise the peace being enjoyed in the state. Anybody
caught will be severely dealt with and those on the run will
soon be arrested.”