Death toll mounts as another Osun resident shot dead

A resident of Esa Oke in Osun State, Dele Ayegbo, was reportedly shot dead by some assailants said to be travelling in a black Sports Utility Vehicle late on Wednesday.

Sources in Esa Oke, who spoke with our correspondent about the incident, said it occurred between 11 pm on Wednesday and 12 am on Thursday.

The sources further described Ayegbo as a nephew of the Director-General of the Osun All Progressives Congress Governorship Campaign Council, Oluwole Oke, giving rise to insinuations that the killing had a political undertone.

One of the sources said Ayegbo was killed close to his house, located in the Idofin quarters of Esa Oke, adding that two other persons were also shot and hospitalised during the attack.

A media adviser to Oke, Sunday Omolebi, while responding to questions from The PUNCH through WhatsApp, said the deceased was shot dead by some assailants who fled the scene shortly after perpetrating the crime.

Omolebi said, “He was shot by a moving black Jeep while he was in his car. It was a move to weaken Hon Oluwole Oke, especially in his stronghold. This is heinous, and the security agencies will need to unearth this.”

The Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, could not be immediately reached for comment.

But the Osun APC, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, stated that the crime was perpetrated by hoodlums working for the Accord.

Olabisi further disclosed that, from the information available to the party, “Ayegbo was gunned down at the road junction close to his house at the Idofin quarters area of the ancient town by the Accord Party hoodlums who were riding in a car.

“It was learnt that two of our members were shot by the political thugs during the incident and that while Ayegbo died instantly, the other victim was rushed to an undisclosed hospital in the town where he had been receiving treatment.

“The spate of the killings because of the re-election bid of Governor Adeleke is becoming unprecedented in the political history of the state and its record has shown that it has surpassed that of the 2022 governorship election, when no fewer than 30 members and supporters of our party were slaughtered like rams by the political thugs working for the PDP that has now metamorphosed to the Accord in Osun State.

“Ijesaland has been witnessing the highest percentage of political killings orchestrated by the state incumbent government, as 17 of the 30 of our members killed by the Accord thugs before the 2022 governorship election took place in Ijesaland,” he said.

The party charged the state police command to act decisively on the killings of APC members, saying the move was to scare the electorate from exercising their civic responsibility during the governorship poll.

“The killing of the nephew of our campaign Director-General in Esa-Oke is one death too many which must be urgently unravelled by the police in the interest of fairness and justice.

|PUNCH|