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No fewer than four persons were reportedly killed in Osun State on Monday while many suffered varying degrees of gunshot injuries during the fracas that erupted when some hoodlums working for the People’s Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress attempted to take over the state council secretariats.
THE POINT gathered that some sacked chairmen and councilors under the APC platform in the state early Monday stormed several council offices in the state in a bid to take over administrative control of activities in the local government areas.
The APC members said a recent judgement of the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, had reinstated the sacked chairmen and councillors across the state, hence, their resolve to resume council offices.
But this development caused tension as PDP members resisted the attempts made by the APC council bosses to control the council areas.
Gunshots rented the air as loyalists and chieftains of both parties mobilised fierce looking thugs who were armed to the teeth, invaded the secretariats and started laying claim to them.
Residents were thrown into panic as passers-by, traders ran helter-skelter amid shootings and display of dangerous weapons and charms by political thugs.
Students and pupils who were on their way to schools ran back home and parents stormed schools that are close to local government secretariats and withdrew their wards as tension spread.
Traders around the vicinities of the council headquarters did not open for businesses for fear of being attacked or hit by stray bullets.
At the gate of Osogbo Central Local Government Area, Oke Baale, Osogbo, PDP and APC members clashed while attempting to enter the council secretariat.
There, a man was attacked and he was rushed to a nearby private hospital by an ambulance in a pool of blood.
The injured man was said to have engaged in a fight with another suspected hoodlum, believed to be working for one of the parties.
Armed police operatives were seen at the entrance to the secretariat, while the hoodlums responsible for the gunfire shot sporadically, causing panic in the neighbourhood.
It was gathered that the same situation happened at the Atakumosa West Local Government Secretariat after a former member of the Osun State House of Assembly, Festus Komolafe, led elected APC members into the premises.
In Egbedore Local Government Secretariat, PDP members wielding canes were seen singing at the entrance, daring APC members to approach them.
In Ayedaade LGA, APC members reportedly arrived at the secretariat in Gbongan early in the morning.
Meanwhile, the struggle allegedly turned fatal after officials elected on the platform of the APC in the October 15, 2022 local government elections in the state resumed at the Boripe Local Government Secretariat in Iragbiji.
Addressing journalists, Soji Ajeigbe, Commissioner for Protocol and Government Affairs in the state, claimed that Adebayo Adeleke, a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs under the former administration of Gboyega Oyetola, led some notorious thugs to the Boripe council.
Ajeigbe alleged that Oyetola’s ally led APC thugs who opened fire at the secretariat in presence of the police, shot dead two members of PDP while four others sustained gunshot injuries.
Although he could not produce the corpses for journalists to see, he added that security operatives have taken their remains to morgue while the injured have been hospitalised for treatment.
However, one of the injured PDP members showed journalists some bodily injuries at the secretariat which had been taken over by the PDP supporters.
An attempt by APC members to take over the Olorunda Local Government Secretariat in Igbona, Osogbo, was resisted, leading to heightened tension in the area.
Armed police operatives were stationed at the junction leading to the council as some APC members who had gathered at the secretariat’s entrance were dispersed.
Security operatives therefore shut the gate of the secretariat and no one was allowed in.
At Olaoluwa Local Government Area, Bode-Osi, one person was reportedly shot dead by hoodlums.
Similarly, a candidate of the APC for Irewole Local Government Area of the state, Remi Abbas, was killed at the entrance of the secretariat by some political thugs.
Abbas, one of the sacked chairmen who had served as chairman under APC for two terms, was reportedly gunned down while stepping into the council secretariat in his bid to implement the purported judgement of the Court of Appeal.
A chieftain of the APC, Jamiu Olawumi, while addressing journalists in Osogbo, claimed that PDP thugs killed some of their members across some local government areas on Monday.
“By 9am on Monday, our chairmen in 15 local government areas resumed offices including Osun East, Ilesa East, Ife Central, Ife North, Ilesa West, Atakunmosa West, Irewole, Ayeedaade, Isokan, Olaoluwa, and Ede South.
“To our amazement, PDP thugs started going to those councils and what baffled us was that the SSG, Teslim Igbalaye, also led PDP thugs to Osogbo Local Government secretariat, threatening anyone who wants to access the council.
“N9billion is the allocations of Osun local government areas and Adeleke doesn’t want to lose N9 billion allocation. We lost our people in Irewole, Isokan and Ola Oluwa.
“The Chairman for Irewole Local Government Area, Remi Abbas was killed while trying to resume office. They killed a councillor in Isokan. They attacked people in Olorunda.
“Remi Omowaiye, the Executive Director, Project Implementation of the Federal Housing Authority was waylaid and attacked at Ilesa-Osogbo expressway. You can count close to 45 bullet points on the Toyota Hiace. At Ife East, somebody was shot in the leg by PDP thugs.
“We are calling on President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector General of Police and Attorney General of the Federation, and the Director General of DSS should come to our aid and intervene in Osun, Adeleke is killing us. We will continue to go to the office. Adeleke can go to air and conjure more thugs because we won’t stop going to the office,” Olawumi said.
Also speaking at the press conference, Omowaiye said some PDP thugs with the support of operatives of Amotekun Corps, attempted to kill him while he was resuming his office in Ilesa.
Omowaiye asked Tinubu to come to the aid of Osun APC, and that Osun Amotekun should be proscribed.
He added that his office in Ilesa was attacked by hoodlums.
Adebayo Adeleke refuted the allegation that he led thugs to Boripe council, saying “PDP is an epitome of lies.”
Tension still continued to ravage the state as residents live in fear as APC vowed to resume the secretariats on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the national leadership of the PDP has cautioned the sacked chairmen and councilors to perish the thought of forcing themselves back into office as such will amount to a futile venture with dire consequences.
The PDP, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, charged APC to “accept the reality and end its resort to self-help, misrepresentations, vituperations, violence and killing with the aim to trigger crisis and destabilize the State, having realized that it has irredeemably lost.”
Similarly, the Osun State Caucus of the 10th National Assembly strongly “condemned the actions of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, regarding the violent takeover of local governments, despite a court ruling that nullified their election.”
The caucus urged President Bola Tinubu to call the Inspector General of Police and other security heads to order.
During a press conference held in Abuja on Monday, a member of the House of Representatives, Bamidele Salam, while speaking on behalf of the caucus comprising the three Senators representing Osun State’s senatorial districts and nine Members of the House of Representatives expressed deep concern over the escalating unrest and lawlessness in Osun, accusing the APC of being the perpetrators.
The caucus called for immediate action to curb the chaos that has engulfed the state, following reports of sacked local government officials and their supporters breaking into local government secretariats, aided by security personnel and thugs.
It asked Tinubu to sanction the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and accused him of complicity to the attempted control of the council areas.
In the same vein, Nigerian singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, accused the state Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Abba, of backing the APC.
In a post on his social media handles accompanied by the picture of Osun CP, Davido, who is a nephew to Governor Ademola Adeleke, said, “Mr Commissioner respect the rule of law!!! You are not madder or crazier than us !! Make we all kuku mad !! MEN MOUNT WALAI TO KRF!!! I will post u everyday everywhere Mr man !!! Try me fucker.”
Meanwhile, the state governor, Ademola Adeleke has directed politicians across political divides and other residents to stay away from the local government secretariats to protect public property and avoid further bloodshed.
Reacting to what he described as “illegal APC takeover bid of local governments in Osun State,” the governor affirmed that “since the local government workers are on strike”, only security agencies should be allowed to man the secretariats.
A statement issued by Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, read, “I therefore direct all law abiding Osun residents to stay away from the council secretariats especially as they are expected to be under lock and key.”
“I equally condole families of victims of the APC illegal takeover bid and chaos unleashed across the state by the APC and their hired thugs. PDP lost five members with several others wounded. Two of those members are from Iragbiji, Boripe local government. Another two were killed at Ola Oluwa Local government. Another one was lost at Ikire. We must stop the bloodshed,” the governor lamented.
He assured residents of their safety and protection of lives and property, affirming that he has directed security agencies to take charge of all local government secretariats.
When THE POINT contacted the Public Relations Officer of the Osun State Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, she did not pick telephone calls and did not respond to text messages.
