Mixed reactions have continued to trail the mob attack on operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), in Osogbo, Osun State.
An eyewitness account told our correspondent that there’s distortion in the narrative that’s being bandied in the media.
According to the source who craves anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issue, two DSS operatives were actually on surveillance in the Tinumola area of Osogbo, where the incident happened.
According to him, one of the operatives, Abiodun Tifase and his colleagues, were accosted to pay electricity bills.
He said; “As they returned from the office in their lady’s bike on Tuesday evening around 7pm. The Caretaker, Mr Dele Omosola, who also reside in a ‘face me, I face you’ apartment beside the operatives’ residence demanded for the August electricity bill which Tifase paid after withdrawing money from Point of Sale, marketer known as ‘Portugal’ also beside the house”.
Tifase, according to the source, paid a sum of N3,200 to one Mufidat Morishalade Abdulwaheed, who was in charge of the collection. The woman, according to the source also sells alcoholic drinks in front of the house.
It was when Tifase was going to his room that he beckoned on his colleague who was talking with the caretaker. That it was the Caretaker who called Tifase to come back, and he refused, saying he had already paid the bill.
The source said the Caretaker unleashed two of his boys whom they were drinking beer together to go and rough-handle Tifase, who was already retiring to his room for disrespecting him.
In the ensuing melee, Tifase, who was still in his kits, had to swung his jack knife when it was obvious that his life was threatened.
He later escaped from the mob and called for reinforcement to save his life.
Meanwhile, his colleagues had escaped when the mob attacked him.
“I think people are taking advantage of the DSS because by their training as secret police, they hardly respond to issues. They instead prefer to carry out a discreet investigation to unravel what actually happened. For instance, when an inspector who is the IPO of the case from Dada estate police station, Osogbo visited the scene with his men today (28/08/2023), he brought along a NTA press crew alongside the caretaker who had been treated and discharged from the hospital back to the Dada Estate police station for media trial on the operative who was invited to interview the DPO. One wonders what has that got to do with the investigation.
“The operative, Tifase has been transferred to the state CID for further actions today. The concerns is that the Police who appeared to have taken side already is planning to detain Tifase, and probably parading him before the media which is against the dictum in law that an accused is innocent until proven otherwise. This they feel may prejudice the case against the DSS, which has always been at the receiving end of the police in the state for some time now,” the source said.
