Osun State was thrown into chaos on Monday as violent clashes erupted over the control of local government secretariats, leaving at least five people feared dead and several others injured.
The crisis stemmed from last week’s Court of Appeal ruling in Akure, which purportedly reinstated sacked chairmen and councillors elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2022.
While the APC has insisted that the judgment reinstated its officials, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) argues that the decision does not return them to office.
The dispute escalated when APC members attempted to reclaim some council secretariats, leading to violent confrontations with PDP supporters and suspected hoodlums.
In Irewole Local Government Area, Ikire, tensions peaked as the former chairman, Mr. Remi Abass, was allegedly killed during a clash.
Credible sources told DAILY GAZETTE that Abass and his supporters were met with resistance from armed men when they tried to enforce the court ruling.
“The former chairman was allegedly killed while many others were critically injured during a gun duel between his supporters and some hoodlums who prevented the forceful takeover of the secretariat,” the source revealed.
The violence was not limited to Ikire.
In Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government Area, two people were reportedly killed when APC and PDP supporters clashed. Another person was allegedly killed in Olaoluwa Local Government Area.
Osun State Commissioner for Protocol and Government Affairs, Mr. Soji Ajeigbe, accused APC-aligned thugs of being responsible for some of the casualties.
“Apart from those killed, six others were injured while they were attempting to take over the secretariat. We have deposited the bodies in the morgue while the injured are receiving treatment at the hospital,” Ajeigbe stated.
In response to the escalating violence, the Osun State Police Command said officers had been deployed to the affected areas.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Yemisi Opalola assured that authorities were working to restore order.
Meanwhile, reports indicated that similar confrontations occurred in other local government areas, including Osogbo, Olorunda, Ilesa East, Boripe, and Ayedaade, as APC members sought to reclaim secretariats.
At the Irewole Local Government secretariat in Ikire, security presence was heavy, with about 30 armed policemen and five patrol vans stationed at the premises. A vandalized black Toyota Camry was also seen at the main gate.
In Ayedaade Local Government, a group of youths gathered outside the council building, while operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were observed monitoring the situation.
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, condemned the violence and confirmed the deaths of five PDP members during the clashes.
He urged all residents, including politicians, to stay away from local government secretariats to prevent further bloodshed.
“I, therefore, direct all law-abiding Osun residents to stay away from the council secretariats, especially as they are expected to be under lock and key.
“I equally condole families of the victims of the APC illegal takeover bid and chaos unleashed across the state by the APC and their hired thugs. PDP lost five members, with several others wounded. Two of those members are from Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government. Another two were killed at Ola Oluwa Local Government. Another one was lost at Ikire. We must stop the bloodshed,” the governor said in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.
Adeleke assured residents of their safety and emphasized that security agencies had been instructed to take full control of all local government secretariats.
While addressing journalists in Osogbo, a chieftain of the APC, Jamiu Olawumi, refuted claims that the party was behind the crisis, insisting that their chairmen and councillors had peacefully resumed work in 15 out of 30 local government areas.
“Today, our chairmen and councillors resumed in 15 out of 30, including Ilesha, Ife North, Irewole, among others. Even Ede South, which houses the private apartments of the governor, had resumed before 9 a.m.
“Surprisingly, the PDP started mobilizing hoodlums to the secretariats to attack the chairmen who resumed offices at their various locations. The SSG also led thugs to Osogbo Local Government Area,” Olawumi claimed.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Project Implementation at the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Engineer Remi Omowaiye, has alleged that he narrowly survived an assassination attempt along the Osogbo/Ilesa road.
According to Omowaiye, the attack occurred around 2:05 p.m. in front of Ilesa West Local Government Area while he was traveling to Osogbo.
“I was returning to Osogbo from Ilesha when we ran into an ambush in front of Ilesa West Local Government. They shot at where I was sitting on the bus; the bullet shattered the side windscreen.
“My driver and police orderly sustained serious gunshot wounds. They have been taken to the hospital for treatment,” he told journalists.
Omowaiye explained that he had earlier mobilized APC members in Ilesa to seek protection from the police for the reinstated local government executives.
