Mr Igbekele Akinrinwa, Chairman, Okitipupa Local Government Council, said on Wednesday at Okitipupa that the local government area lost assets and valuables worth N1.5 billion when hoodlums hijacked the #EndSARS protest.
Akinrinwa told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he was totally devastated over the major havoc wreaked on social infrastructure and on properties of residents in the area.
Hoodlums who hijacked the protest on Oct. 22 either destroyed properties or set them on fire.
They set fire on the Okitipupa Council Secretariat, the Okitipupa Divisional Police Station and vandalised Magistrates’ and High Courts buildings and also those of INEC and the Okitipupa Oil Palm Company, among others.
Akinrinwa noted that most of age-long historical and other important documents which traced the history of Ikale-land were destroyed in the inferno, just as computers which stored other vital documents and information were carted away by the hoodlums.
He appealed to indigenes of the area to assist the council by donating funds at least to reconstruct the secretariat.
He lamented that the hoodlums’ actions had set the Council 50 years back and would take many years to recover from it.
“This development has wiped out Ikale-land from history as all age-long historical documents tracing our origin have been destroyed and computers with other vital documents and information have been carted away.
“The council workers are unable to do any meaningful work now since the secretariat has been razed.
“Okitipupa is currently in total wreck and ruins as we have lost most of our properties estimated at more than N1.5 billion.
“I appeal to all sons and daughters of Ikale-land, home and abroad to assist us in any way they can, at least to rebuild the Secretariat where we can carry on with our work,’’ he said.
Akinrinwa also called on security agencies to swing into actions and fish out all perpetrators of the dastardly act and bring them to justice. (NAN)
