Our Reporter
MEMBERS of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Atakumosa East Local Government of the State of Osun have called on Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and the Commissioner of Police, Mr Olawale Olokode, to forestall further killing by armed political thugs in the area.
The APC members expressed fear on the killing of the party’s Chairman in Atakumosa East Local Council Development Authority, Gbenga Ogbara, in the early hours of Monday by some assailants.
According to the APC members, the murder of Ogbara is a political killing which is not alien to their political environment.
Leading the APC members, a mid-aged man, Mr Gbenga Afolabi, described Ogbara’s murder as a resumption of political killing, traceable to a particular leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the area.
Afolabi alleged that there is a killing squad of the PDP, led by one Solomon Adefioye, notoriously know as Solo Iwara, which is responsible for number of violent political attacks and killings in the local government.
The police had on March 10, 2022 declared 33-year-old Adefioye wanted for alleged murder, arson, ritual killing, armed robbery, rape and kidnapping.
Investigations by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that some APC leaders in Atakumosa, led by late Ogbara, had reported Adefioye’s gang to the police late 2021 for allegedly terrorising communities in the area.
Findings revealed that some of the gang members were arrested and detained by the police.
According to sources, one of the detained suspects died in police custody.
It was gathered that Adefioye’s gang might have marked all the APC leaders that reported them to the police for killing in retaliation of the death of one of them.
Sources told the medium that Ogbara was apparently the first target of the killing plot by the Adefioye’s gang.
Ogbara was shot dead by the assailants in his home in Igangan in the early hours of Monday.
His wife and son, Aregbesola who were with him in the house were also shot.
But the wife and son did not die and were receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital as at the time of filing this report.
Speaking on the hospital bed in a shot video obtained by OSUN DEFENDER, Aregbesola, the son of the deceased said the perpetrators of the act lured his father out of his house and shot him several times.
He said: “We just returned from the shop but my dad was in the house. I saw some people who rode motorcycles past us. When we got to the house, someone knocked on the door and asked for my dad.
“He went to the door, opened it, and moved towards the gate. The people waiting for him outside brought out gun and before he could turn, they shot him repeatedly and he fell. The men continued shooting and I was hit in the hand.”
Findings by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that Ogbara had earlier been attacked in 2019 during the general election. His house and vehicle were torched by the assailants.
Investigations also revealed that there have been recurrent political killings in Atakumosa East Local Government.
It was gathered that a member of the APC was killed on February 19, 2022 during the governorship primary of the party was killed by the reported PDP killing squad in Odogbo.
The medium also learnt that three members of the party in Unit 5, Ward 10 of the local government were shot during the 2019 general election, a development that led to the cancellation of result in the unit.
The shot APC members are: Raphael Orowusi, Titilayo Awoniyi and Azeez Oloyede.
Reacting to the killing of Ogbara, Afolabi who led other APC members in a chat with OSUN DEFENDER on Monday, said the PDP has always been making move to hold the grip of the local government.
Afolabi stated that the Ogbara was killed to weaken the APC, calling on Governor Oyetola and the Commissioner of Police to come to the aide of the party members.
He said: “The death of our party chairman is from a particular PDP leader in the local government. The people that came to kill the APC chairman are his boys, and this is not the first time they will be carrying out this kind of political killings and attacks.
“The said PDP leader has always wanted his party to dominate the local government. He wants to continue holding the grip of Atakumosa for his party. That is why he has been killing and attacking our people. Our members are constantly being attacked in Iwara by this PDP killing squad.
Before the last primary election, one of our leaders in Ajumobi, Ward 2, Atakumosa East local government, Hon Lukman Abubakar, was attacked. He was beating and his property were destroyed.
“The killing of our chairman, Ogbara is to weaken us. They want our people to be afraid of coming out to vote on election day.
“I am using this opportunity to call on Governor Oyetola and the Commissioner of Police to come to our rescue. These people are deadly and ready to continue killing us. If things continue like this, APC members will not come out to vote in July 16, 2022 governorship election.”
