The miscreants were said to have invaded two mobile courts sitting at different locations in the state capital and disrupted proceedings.

It was gathered that the hoodlums were protesting the enforcement of restricting movement by law enforcement agents.

The duration for the exercise was between 7 and 9.00A.M.

In the ensuing melee one persons was reportedly short while shops,houses and properties worth several millions of naira were set ablaze by the hoodlums .

While about eight hoodlums armed with dangerous objects invaded a court session at Oja-Oba area, it was the same scenario at Ipata mobile court where some youths protesting closure of road threw the court into disarray.

The situation forced the court’s presiding judge and sanitation officers to flee the scene for fear of being attacked.

According to an eye witness ,trouble started when a police man impounded a motorcycle for flouting the order on restriction of movement during the exercise around Oja-oba area.

The motorcycle, it was gathered belongs to one of the leader of the gang popularly known as Ariyo.

The rider of the motorcycle,it was gathered told the police man that the ‘okada’ belongs to Ariyo,a plea which the police man reportedly turned down, insisting that no one is above the law.

Infuriated by the action of the police man,the hoodlums reportedly mobilised themselves destroying property at sight and setting ablaze shops in the Oja-oba area leaving people to scamper to safety.

The hoodlums including some ladies reportedly shots into the air, brandishing various dangerous weapons and throwing pebbles,,broken tiles and bottles to their targets.

The rampaging hoodlums,according to eye witness,used clay pots to cover their heads to protect themselves from being shelled while they unleash terror on the community.

In the middle of the crisis,men of the state fire service department were drafted to put off the raging fire of various properties set ablaze.

Meanwhile, 36 persons were arrested and arraigned at different mobile courts sitting in Ilorin for violating the state environmental sanitation law.

The courts where the defaulters were arraigned included Unity, Post Office and Offa Garage among others.

Speaking on the crisis,the state Commissioner for Environment and Forestry, Usman Abubakar Mora, regretted the recurring problem of inadequate security personnel during sanitation exercise.

He directed environmental management team in the ministry to raise letters to the state executive council and the state Commissioner of Police to address the incessant attacks on environmental officers by the suspected hoodlums.

While addressing newsmen after the sanitation exercise, Mora appealed to his men not to be discouraged by some of the challenges encountered while carrying out their lawful duties, saying “those are parts of the hazards”.