By The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Ademola Adeleke’s camp are locked in a war of words following fresh killings recorded in Osogbo in the early hours of Thursday, with each side blaming the other for the violence.
AfrikTimes earlier reported an attack that began late Wednesday night led to the deaths of two men, identified as Lateef Olalekan and Waheed Adelodun. The killings come just days after separate suspected cult clashes were reported in other parts of Osogbo, including the Egbatedo and Idi-Seke areas, which police say left at least two other people dead.
In a statement issued by Oluremi Omowaiye, Head of Media and Publicity of the APC governorship campaign council, the party said the two deceased were its members and alleged that loyalists of Governor Adeleke were behind the attack.
According to the statement, an eyewitness account said the attack was led by Nurudeen Alowonle, described as a government appointee, working alongside two individuals identified as Esubiyi and Taoreed Ademola, also known as “Small Rugged.” The APC claimed both Esubiyi and Ademola had recently been released from prison on the governor’s order and had since carried out violent attacks against APC members and supporters. The party further alleged that the suspects were seen moving around Osogbo in an 18-seater bus, targeting APC members specifically.
On this basis, the APC called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services to arrest Alowonle and the others named in the statement.
Governor Adeleke’s office pushed a different account, describing the violence as cult-related rather than politically sponsored. In a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor’s camp denied any government involvement.
“We receive with concern recent suspected cult killing at Osogbo and we call on security agencies to enforce the law and go after the culprits. The killing and the subsequent rampage are condemnable,” the governor was quoted as saying. He added that the violence “should be curtailed immediately so as not to complicate the delicate security situation after recent political violence in the state,” and called on security agencies to investigate and apprehend those responsible.
The competing accounts leave Osogbo residents with two irreconcilable versions of the same night: one in which a government appointee allegedly led an armed attack targeting opposition members, and another in which the killings are folded into an ongoing, apolitical cult crisis the state government says it is not responsible for.
AfrikTimes notes that the allegations against Alowonle, Esubiyi, and Ademola come from a rival political party and have not been confirmed by police, who have so far characterised the recent violence as suspected cult activity rather than attributing it to named individuals or political sponsorship. None of the named individuals could be reached for comment as of filing, and no arrests connected to the APC’s allegations have been publicly confirmed.
