Ismaeel Uthman
SOME members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ipetumodu, Ife-North Local Government of the State of Osun, were on Tuesday, attacked by hoodlums at a meeting of the party.
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the attack came after the Caretaker Chairman of the local government, Hon. Ayoola Adeyeba, stopped the APC members who belong to The Osun Progressives caucus of the party from holding inaugural meeting of the newly elected executives of the party in the local government secretariat of the party.
It was learnt that Ayoola had around 9am, stopped the rental service providers from erecting canopies at the Market Square, the venue to be used for the meeting.
The council chairman was said to have insisted that the APC members would not hold the meeting, in spite of the notification sent to the Police and Department of State Services.
When they could not hold their meeting there, the APC members concluded around 2pm to hold their meeting at the house of the APC Chairman in the local government, Kazeem Odedeyi.
However, Ayoola, his vice, Hon. Henry Afolabi and other members of the caretaker committee of the local government allegedly led armed political hoodlums to disrupt the APC meeting being held at Odedeyi’s house.
Ayoola was also allegedly accompanied by operatives of Amotekun to supervise the attack on the APC members.
About four members of the party including Messrs. Akin Morakiinyo, Jimoh Yisa from Akinlalu, Eniola Adepoju, Prince Kehinde and the local government Chairman of the APC were attacked and injured by the hoodlums.
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, Odedeyi, said: “We wanted to hold the meeting last week but the Police and DSS said we did not inform them on time. The Police said they wanted a five-day notification, so we could not hold the meeting last week.
“We sent letters to both the Police, DSS and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on November 11, informing them that we would hold our meeting on Tuesday and they acknowledged the letter. Surprisingly, I was informed around 9am that the council Chairman, Hon. Adeyeba Ayoola, did not allow the rental service providers to erect canopies at Market Square, Ipetumodu where we wanted to have the meeting.
“I went to the place and met the chairman and he told me that we cannot hold any meeting because we did not inform him. We were dragging the matter till around 2pm and members of the party decided that we should go to my house to hold our regular meeting.
“Few minutes after the commencement of the meeting, the council chairman, his vice, Henry Afolabi and other members of his cabinet, in company of operatives of Amotekun, brought thugs to attack us. The hoodlums were armed with din-guns, cutlasses, charms and clubs.
“They injured some of us. Mr Jimoh Yisa from Akinlalu town was beaten to comatose, fainted and was rushed to Alubarika hospital, Ipetumodu, where he was resuscitated.”
When contacted, the council Chairman, Adeyeba denied leading thugs to attack the APC members, saying ‘no attack took place’ at the meeting.
Adeyeba who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER in a telephone interview yesterday said: “How and why would I lead thugs to attack somebody? What happened is that last week, the DPO informed me that some APC members wanted to hold meeting and I told him I was not aware of the meeting.
“On Monday, I was informed that same set of people wanted to hold meeting and I asked the DPO that: ‘what is the signal you received from the state?’ He said he was instructed not to release any policeman for the meeting. That means there is no approval for the meeting.
“I went to the venue of the meeting and I told them that I was not aware of any meeting. The person that led the APC members said they belong to The Osun Progressives faction of the party. He insisted that the meeting would hold. I told the rental service providers not to erect any canopy and they obliged.
“Thereafter, this people started to hurl abuses language at me. They cursed me and called me so many unprintable names. They said I could not stop the meeting. We later ironed things out.
“The person whose picture was being circulated as one of the victims of the attack was armed with charms. That was why he was beaten. In fact, they have beaten him before I got there. It was not thugs that was beaten, but APC members.
“When some people wanted to beat Baba Akin Morakinyo. I took him in my car and drove him to the police station for safety. There were no thugs in Ipetu yesterday, I can tell you that.”
