•Mayowa Anjorin
The Osun State Police Command yesterday arrested the state Commissioner for Environment, Mayowa Anjorin, for allegedly masterminding a gun attack on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the latest eruption of violence in the state ahead of this week Saturday’s off cycle governorship election.
Also in police net on account of the incident is an operative of the Osun State Security Network Agency (Amotekun), reports The Nation.
Three persons were hit by bullets when some men allegedly stormed a rally by the APC in Ilesa and opened fire on them.
The injured -Tobi Ilesanmi, Wasiu Alanide and Aderemi Adedeji – were rushed to the hospital for treatment.
The Osun State Police Command said in a statement through its Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, last night that the gunmen allegedly led by Anjorin, drove to the rally and opened fire.
Some of Anjorin’s companions, according to the Police, wore the Amotekun uniform.
With their mission accomplished, the suspects fled the scene only to be given a chase by some members of the public.
The chase resulted in the apprehension of some of the fleeing gunmen.
The police said that one of the suspected Amotekun personnel pulled a knife on his pursuers and even attempted to stab them with a view to freeing himself.
Ojelabi said operatives of the Force Intelligence Department-Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), acting on information about the incident, mobilised to the area and sighted a Lexus vehicle with registration number ABJ-89TS.
He said an individual identified as an Amotekun operative, was found inside the vehicle and allegedly in possession of a pump-action firearm.
The vehicle and its occupants were subsequently arrested and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for questioning and further investigation.
Ojelabi said preliminary investigation identified one of the occupants as Anjorin, the Commissioner for Environment.
The Command also acknowledged allegations linking another individual, Hon. Wale Akerele, to the incident, but stressed that the claim remained under investigation.
“No individual should be presumed guilty until the investigation establishes otherwise,” the police said.
The police said four expanded cartridges and an Amotekun cap were recovered at the scene.
The Command said its investigation would determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting, identify all those involved, establish the source and ownership of the firearms allegedly used and determine the level of involvement of each person connected with the incident.
The Command urged political parties, candidates, their supporters and members of the public to remain calm and refrain from taking the law into their own hands.
Soon after the shooting yesterday, the APC issued a statement accusing Accord Party of instigating the violence during an APC rally at Oke-Omiru, Ilesa.
The Accord Party countered with its own statement that its office and billboard in the town were vandalised by APC supporters.
Besides, Accord Party accused the leadership of APC in the state of importing and harbouring election result hackers at a hotel in Osogbo, Osun State.
It asked security agencies to apprehend the culprits.
The APC denied the allegation and declared that it has no reason whatsoever to manipulating the election process.
It was gathered that early yesterday APC supporters embarked on a rally at Oke-Omiru area of Ilesa and while proceeding towards Isokun suspected thugs shot into the air to scare them.
A party member who called his name Segun said: “We were having an early morning rally today (yesterday) when on our way back to our secretariat, were ambushed by some men led by a member of the Osun State House of Assembly.
“They shot into the air to scare us but some of us refused to run. We charged at them then they fired into the campaign rally leaving many injured.
“We later regrouped and the lawmaker mobilised his men to the scene again to disrupt our rally. We were attacked and maimed. It is so unfortunate.”
Segun said the injured were taken to the hospital for treatment.
According to him, a truck driver and some passers-by by were hit by bullets fired by the Accord Party men.
“One of our members named Tobi is currently at Wesley Guild Teaching Hospital,” Segun said.
The APC Campaign Council, in its official version of the incident, accused the Chief Whip of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Wale Akerele, of master minding the “unprovoked and violent attack on our peaceful campaign rally.”
Engr Omowaiye Oluremi, Head, Media and Publicity Committee of the campaign council said: “Our members were holding a peaceful campaign procession in Ilesa West when Hon. Akerele, accompanied by armed Amotekun personnel, opened direct fire on the crowd.
“Scores of APC members sustained injuries while scampering for safety, four individuals, including a 12-year-old boy, Oluwatobi Ilesanmi, who was shot.
“The victims of the gunfire have been rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Ilesa for urgent medical attention.
“We call on the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant security agencies to immediately arrest and investigate Hon. Wale Akerele and the participating Amotekun operatives.
“APC urged all well-meaning citizens and civil society organizations to condemn this continuous and reckless maiming of innocent citizens by the ruling party elements. Our party and members remained undeterred and will not be cowed by these desperate, violent tactics of the ruling party in the state.”
Akerele: My security men shot into the air in self defence
Akerele disputed the APC version.
His words: “I was driving along Isokun road when the APC rally met me. They started shooting into the air but I had my security who are Amotekun inside the car.
“They shot into the air to scare them. Then we left the place.
“I was later called by the DPO that there was an allegation against me that I shot at APC members, I quickly went to the station to honour the invite and state my own side of the story.
“On my way back from the police station, I still ran into them again and that time they were prepared to attack me, then the Amotekun acted in defence.
“There is no way that I will drive and still be shooting. It was one of the members of APC that even said I should not mind them.”
When the Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, was contacted about the incident, he promised to get back to our correspondent on the matter.
Accord alleges importation of election hackers by APC
State Chairman of Accord Party, Mr. Victor Akande said in a statement in Osogbo that the alleged hackers were imported to manipulate the results of the governorship election infavour of the APC.
“The hackers were brought in from Lagos and Abuja and they have set up an operational center at the hotel. Their target is to compromise the INEC electronic system to impute fake election results into the INEC ser,” Akande said.
He asked INEC to be on its guard.
Spokesman of the APC Kola Olabisi debunked the claim as false and baseless.
His party, he said, does not need to engage in electoral fraud to win the election as the majority of the electorate are on its side.
Olabisi warned the Accord Party against frivolous claims, saying fear of defeat was responsible for the allegations raised against the APC by the Accord Party.
He said: “The allegation that our party is harbouring hackers in a particular hotel in Osogbo is false without any foundation, and there is no basis for that.
“It is an attempt to lower the esteem of our party in the eyes of the right-thinking members of society. Our party does not need to rig any election before our candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, wins the election.
“It is the fear of losing the election that is haunting the Accord Party functionaries who are peddling the information. It is nothing but a figment of the imagination of those peddling the rumour. There is nothing like that. If they are sure that we are harbouring any hacker, the right place for the Accord Party to go is the police.”
Imoke,Tambuwal, Ihedioha lead ADC 73-man campaign council
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has constituted a 73 member Election Management Council to co-ordinate its activities for the polls.
Leading the council is former Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke with former Speaker, House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal as chairman and his erstwhile deputy Emeka Ihedioha and General Kabiru Nadama (rtd) as co-chairmen.
The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said yesterday that the council is tasked with the responsibility of coordinating and overseeing the party’s campaign activities ahead of the governorship election, including mobilisation and preparations for the final campaign rally.
The ADC campaign will climax tomorrow with a final rally at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo.
