One person has reportedly been killed while many others were wounded when hoodlums suspected to be cultists, attacked Palms Mall at Ring Road, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Sunday night.
An eyewitness who preferred anonymity told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Ibadan that the deceased was shot dead by the hoodlums at the entrance to the mall.
The eyewitness said following the shooting, people at the mall began running helter-skelter, which led to an unspecified number of persons sustaining varying degrees of injury.
The witness said attempt by the hoodlums to use the opportunity to break the glass door of the mall to loot was unsuccessful, just as he added that the quick appearance of security operatives further prevented them from gaining access into the mall.
“I suspect those boys were members of rival cult groups trying to prove superiority here at the mall.
“The incident started at a club inside the Palms Mall at about 8:30 p.m. and those hoodlums later pushed themselves to the entrance gate where one person was killed,” the witness said.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, DSP Adewale Osifeso, confirmed the incident in an interview with NAN on Monday.
“The incident occurred; comprehensive investigations are ongoing to apprehend all the culprits involved. Update will be provided in due course,” Osifeso said.
As of Monday morning, the mall was still under lock, while police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel were stationed at the mall’s gate with nobody allowed to enter.
Source: Nigerian tribune