The Osun State Commissioner for Regional
Integration, Mr. Bola Ilori, was beaten by some suspected political
thugs at the zonal meeting of the All Progressives Congress Committee on
Restructuring, at the International Event Center, Akure, the Ondo State
capital, on Thursday...
The commissioner, who was one of the
representatives of Osun State at the forum, was assaulted when he left
the hall to grant a press interview at the entrance.
An eyewitness narrated that the commissioner, after speaking at the programme went out to grant an interview outside the hall.
The eyewitness said as he (Ilori) stood
in front of the journalists’ cameras and was about talking, one of the
thugs went to him and said, ‘What are you looking for in the APC
programme? You are an Alliance for Democracy member, what are you
looking for here?.”
It was gathered that the thug was later
joined by his colleagues to assault the commissioner and tore his dress
and underwear in the process.
The source said, “The thugs swooped on
the commissioner and started beating him. They tore his dress and
underwear in the process. He attempted to run away but the thugs would
not let him as they held unto him. After stripping the commissioner
almost half-naked, they left him with a warning that he should not join
the meeting or any programme of the APC again. In fact, it was one of
his sympathisers that offered him a shirt to wear.”
The incident infuriated the delegates
from Osun State who disrupted the programme as they were shouting and
pushing some members of the Ondo APC in the hall, saying they were not
going to accept the assault on their leader. The APC delegates from Osun
State, who later learnt about the assault said they would not continue
with the programme until the thugs were arrested.
It took the intervention of the Chief
Press Secretary to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, Mr. Segun Ajiboye, and
some security agents to calm frayed nerves. They later escorted Ilori
back into the hall in a borrowed shirt.
Speaking with journalists, Ilori alleged
that the thugs were sent to attack him by the Secretary to the Ondo
State Government, Mr. Sunday Abegunde, for unknown reason.
“We came here in the interest of the
nation, the party calls for opinion of the people on restructuring we
have done our presentation and there was no problem, only for the thugs
of Abegunde, the SSG to come and harass me. “
“If I have come here today alone, it
would have been another thing. It is the SSG, Sunday Abegunde, that sent
them,” Ilori alleged.
When newsmen sought Abegunde’s reaction
he directed them to the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Yemi
Olowolabi, who was already talking with some people about it.
Olowolabi dismissed Ilori’s claim,
alleging that Osun Commissioner came to the venue with the intention of
causing trouble because he was not invited to speak at the programme.
Olowolabi said, “The Osun people came
here with thugs, they came with charms and dangerous weapons. Why were
people from Ekiti not attacked? It was very clear that they were here to
cause trouble.
“We are peace-loving people in Ondo
State, many people have spoken before him, there was no problem, he was
not the one to speak for Osun State but tactically took over the
microphone and spoke. After the incident, he even thanked his ‘army’
that they proved that they can defend themselves. This is very sad.”
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