By Ismaeel Uthman
– Owner Accuses Adeleke, As Governor Denies Involvement
The business building of Mr Akin Adeyi, a critic of Governor Ademola Adeleke, was on Saturday morning demolished by unknown men.
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the building located at Stadium area, besides the ram market, Osogbo, was demolished around 5am.
The building had in it a Guest House, bar, and canteen.
Sources told OSUN DEFENDER that the men who came to demolish the building arrived around 4am, ordered the workers in the building to vacate the premises and directed the bulldozer operator to pull the building down.
Speaking with the medium, Adeyi, the owner of the building, accused Governor Adeleke of sponsoring the demolition.
According to Adeyi, only a vindictive government could act in such manner, saying that those who came to demolish his building, were directed by Adeleke.
He said the 38-year old building is worth over N200m.
Adeyi said: “The government demolished my building. Nobody could do that except the government. They started the demolition around 4am and finished at past 6am.
“I was told the people came with four hilux jeeps and a bulldozer. They were led by policemen and thugs. They asked the people inside the building to open the door in a violent manner. The workers thought they were armed robbers and refused to open the door. Eventually, those people forced their ways into the building.
“They invaded the place and started carting things away. They beat the people there mercilessly with cutlass. They asked the workers for my whereabouts and they told them that its been long I came there.
“Later on, they ordered the bulldozer to start demolishing the building and they cordoned off the road. The thugs that followed them carted away what they could. It was getting to dawn at that time. Any passerby that wanted to record the demolition with his or her phone would be harassed. They had earlier collected the phones of the people inside the building and smashed it on the ground, so that nobody would be able to record.
“You know I have always been a hard critic of Governor Ademola Adeleke. Somebody called me last week, he told me to move out all my valuables out of the building. I asked him why and he said he had information that they were planning to demolish the building after the swearing-in of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
“I told the person that it is only a court that could order the demolition of a building. He told me not to joke with the information. True to his word, I was called around 4:15am on Saturday that some people came to demolish my building.
“I don’t think criticism of a governor or government should warrant this. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was governor for eight years and I was his hard critic. Aregbesola never hurted me with a pin. He always greeted me very well and even recommended me to people.
“I have reported to the DSS and the police. We are in another era in Osun.”
However, Governor Adeleke had absolved himself from the demolition of Adeyi’s building, saying he is not behind it.
Adeleke, in a press statement signed by his Spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, said: “That insinuation is absolute fake news. Governor Adeleke is not a vindictive leader. He is the Governor of every Osun indigene and resident including Akin Adeyi and others.
“In his inauguration address, Governor Adeleke declared that election is over and that all Osun people should come together for the peace and growth of the state.
“All hands are on deck to unify Osun people and deliver on good governance. His Excellency has since directed immediate investigation on the incident. The outcome will be communicated to the public.”
