Hoodlums suspected to be armed robbers have invaded Aderogba community, off Bere in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, setting some buildings there ablaze.

The louts also broke into some shops, stealing goods, including home appliances. Some vehicles parked on the streets were destroyed by the youth, who broke their windscreens, headlamps and pushed them into the gutter.

Though there were reports that 200 houses were razed down, our correspondent who visited the area observed that one building and one shop were set on fire by the rampaging hoodlums.

Our correspondent also noted that some of the affected shop owners and residents had started fleeing the troubled area to safer places.

One of the affected shop owners who lost televisions and other valuables to the robbers told our correspondent that he had called carpenters to renovate parts of his shop pulled down by the hoodlums after the stole his property.

Some of the residents said they thought it was a cult gang war initially, adding that the looting changed their impression about what happened.

One of the affected shop owners said, “The boys came around 11:30pm and started throwing stones, bottles and they broke into many shops. No fewer than 40 shops were broken into and looted. They set a building there ablaze and torched another shop. Some young persons came out and put off the fire but they fled when the hoodlums returned.

“The smoke almost killed some of those sleeping inside the building as fire raged. If they didn’t try to put off the fire, more than 200 buildings would have been destroyed by the fire.”

A retired soldier, who is a resident of the area, Alhaji Mojeed Aderogba, told our correspondent that the hoodlums invaded the area at almost 12 midnight.

The aged man appealed to government and security agencies to improve on security in the area and other parts of Ibadan so that residents would be safe.

The coordinator of Mogaji ( family heads)  Mogaji Adanla, Abduljelil Kareem led Mogaji Itagbigbo Adewale Badmus; Mogaji Modale, Alhaji Adeyemo Rasaki; Mogaji Daada, Chief Musibawu Raji; Mogaji Olasomi, Ademola Olasomi and Mogaji Oloko Alhaji Abbas Oloko, to sympathise with victims and inspect the scene.