APC Demands Probe Into Alleged Assassination Attempt on Ataoja of Osogbo

…Accusing Gov Adeleke of losing control of the state’s security

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osogbo, Osun State capital, has called on security agencies to investigate the alleged assassination attempt on the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, urging authorities to unravel the circumstances surrounding the monarch’s claim.

The party urged the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

The APC made the demand while reacting to the controversy surrounding the monarch’s claim and Governor Ademola Adeleke’s allegation linking the incident to opposition elements.

Addressing journalists on Osogbo on Sunday, former Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Akintunde Adegboye accused the governor of acting on speculation rather than waiting for the outcome of a proper investigation.

Hon. Adegboye said the Ataoja was “magnanimous enough” to state that he was not accusing any political party of the alleged attack, but wondered why the governor allegedly moved quickly to blame the APC.

He accused Governor Adeleke of losing control of the state’s security situation, claiming that the monarch’s comment that the governor was unaware of the incident for about two weeks exposed lapses in security management

“Is this desperation on the part of the governor, who is the Chief Security Officer of the state, choosing rumours over proper investigation?” he asked.

According to the party, the circumstances surrounding the allegation required clarification, including the identity of those allegedly attacked, the police station where the incident was reported, the hospital where victims were treated, and whether any arrests were made.

“The Ataoja did not claim to have reported the matter at the nearest police station, which is just beside the palace, but said the record of the incident was at UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital. These are issues that require proper investigation.

“The governor should come forward to explain when the Ataoja mentioned APC in connection with the allegation and why an issue of assassination was raised at a political endorsement programme.

“We, the leaders of APC in Osogbo are here with the deepest sense of responsibility that we are addressing the public today. We are bonafide indigenes of Osogbo and we are concerned with her development.

“We expected that His Royal Majesty, the Ataoja of Osogbo Oba Jimoh Oyetunji should rise above partisanship and be a father to all irrespective of political affiliation. But like in 2022, the Ataoja has again put on the fabrics of politics and this time politics of blackmail against the APC, especially those of us from Osogbo.

“It is surprising that an assassination attempt was carried out against the Ataoja by some unscrupulous person, according to the royal father the day an Accord party chieftain was shot, but the incident has never been in public domain until an endorsement programme for Governor Ademola Adeleke. The allegation looks more like a blackmail than truth,” he said.