Bloodshed, fear trail build-up to Osun gov poll

n n

With less than two months to the Osun governorship election, a wave of political violence is spreading across the state, raising concerns about the ability of security agencies to guarantee a peaceful poll. BOLA BAMIGBOLA writes

n

The 17th-century poet, John Milton, in Paradise Regained, wrote: “The childhood shows the man, as morning shows the day.”

n

In essence, the early signs of an event often reveal how it may eventually unfold.

n

Going by that logic, anyone who has closely followed political developments in Osun State since February 2025 may not need a crystal ball to predict the nature of the August 15 governorship election.

n

Once celebrated as the “State of the Virtuous,” Osun is increasingly being drawn into a cycle of violence, with non-state actors operating almost unchecked across many communities.

n

Corpses are finding their way into body bags almost weekly. Violent clashes have become a recurring experience for residents, with each incident leaving both participants and innocent bystanders either injured or dead.

n

Political thugs armed by leading parties in the state appear to be operating with growing audacity. The long arm of the law, many observers say, seems to have been shortened in the rising political violence in the state.

n

Findings by Sunday PUNCH revealed that the current wave of unrest began as a spark in February 2025 when local government chairmen elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the October 15, 2022 election returned to council secretariats after securing a judgment from the Court of Appeal, Akure Division.

n

The election had been conducted after then-governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, lost his re-election bid in the July 16, 2022 governorship poll. Hours before his successor, Ademola Adeleke, was sworn in, a Federal High Court in Osogbo sacked the APC’s LG chairmen.

n

Despite filing an appeal, the chairmen were prevented from continuing in office by the state government. Adeleke subsequently appointed caretaker executives while preparations for a fresh election commenced.

n

The Court of Appeal judgment delivered in February 2025, however, came just 12 days before the local government election scheduled by the Adeleke’s administration, immediately setting the APC’s chairmen against PDP officials expected to emerge from the February 22 poll.

n

True to their vow to reclaim the council secretariats, the APC’s LG chairmen stormed local government offices across the state on February 17 and met stiff resistance from PDP loyalists.

n

The confrontation turned violent.

n

By the time calm returned, the police had announced that six people, including the returning APC chairman of Irewole Local Government, Remi Abbas, were killed.

n

Since then, many residents say the state has struggled to regain its peace.

n

n

Violence spreads amid security agencies’ indifference

n

Political violence has continued to escalate amid what critics describe as the apparent indifference of security agencies.

n

Apart from the suspected killers of Abbas, records indicate that no other alleged perpetrators or sponsors of violence linked to the local government crisis have been prosecuted. Many of those arrested were released without charge.

n

As a result, suspected killers and relatives of their victims continue to live in the same communities, albeit with bitterness.

n

Politicians, majorly of the APC and Accord, the ruling party, are accused of infiltrating cult groups, transport unions and criminal networks in a bid to secure loyalty ahead of the governorship election.

n

Members of rival gangs now reportedly target one another for attacks, while innocent residents often find themselves caught in the crossfire.

n

On June 8, residents of some communities were drawn into hostilities linked to clashes between supporters of the Accord Party and the APC.

n

Investigations by Sunday PUNCH revealed that the crisis began in Ile-Ife during a solidarity walk organised by the APC for its governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.

n

The procession, which commenced around 9am at the Mayfair area of Ile-Ife and was led by the member representing Ife Central/Ife East/Ife North/Ife South Federal Constituency, Abimbola Ajilesoro, reportedly ran into trouble at the Sabo area.

n

Sources claimed the violence was triggered after hoodlums allegedly tore campaign posters of an opposing governorship candidate, displayed along the road.

n

Eyewitnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said dangerous weapons were used in the ensuing clash between hoodlums working for the APC and Accord Party.

n

Following the Ile-Ife incident, gunshots were reportedly fired in Aisu and Owode-Ede, Aregbesola Area, Olaiya, Old Garage and Oke Fia areas of Osogbo, by suspected hoodlums moving through the state capital, creating panic among residents.

n

An elderly man was reportedly injured during the shooting at Owode-Ede and taken to the Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, for treatment.

n

At Aregbesola Area, a driver seated in a commercial bus was reportedly struck by a stray bullet and rushed to an undisclosed hospital.

n

Political analysts warn that as the election draws nearer, violence is spreading steadily while security agencies appear unable to halt the slide.

n

Supporters of both the Accord Party and the APC have also continued to defend suspected perpetrators online and offline.

n

A political analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “Curiously, security agencies now appear to be taking their cue from partisan netizens. Once supporters of a political camp begin defence narratives for a particular incident or suspect online, the police often seem content with those narratives, allowing investigations to fizzle out and suspects to walk free.”

n

n

Accord, APC and the blame game

n

The Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of the Imole Campaign Council, Bamidele Salam, blamed the APC for the growing violence.

n

In a statement, Salam said, “The whole world should take note that virtually all the victims of recent politically motivated violence in Osun State have been members and supporters of the Accord Party and its allies.

n

“Only a few weeks ago, Mr Kolade Eluyera, an Accord member in Irewole Local Government, was brutally murdered in cold blood. On June 3, 2026, the Chairman of the Accord in Osogbo Local Government, Hon Asimiyu Ajibola, was shot multiple times by APC armed assailants and has remained hospitalised while battling for his life.

n

“Similarly, during the violent invasion of local government councils in 2025 by APC-sponsored thugs, Mr Ismaila Ibrahim and Hon Kasali Adebayo lost their lives in Ilesa. In Boripe Local Government, Oladimeji Taiwo and Oloyede Damilare were murdered during another APC-led violent attack on public institutions.

n

“These are not mere allegations. They are tragic realities that have left families devastated and communities traumatised.”

n

Salam further listed several Accord members allegedly killed or injured in separate attacks across the state, including Aderemi Abideen Abiodun (Ojubintin), Aderombi Abass, Ganiyu Gele, Wole Vulcanizer, Rafiu Quadri Abiodun and Elijah Baba Ewe.

n

The lawmaker representing Ede Federal Constituency also alleged that the identities of several APC thugs repeatedly linked to violence were already in the public domain, accusing party leaders of shielding them from justice.

n

The APC, however, dismissed the allegations and accused leaders of the ruling party of sponsoring the violence.

n

The Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, alleged that four party members were killed by suspected Accord hoodlums in Ilesa within three days.

n

Olabisi also claimed that Saheed Oyegunju of Ward 9, Ikire, Oyebamiji’s hometown, was murdered by hoodlums allegedly working for the Accord Party.

n

In a statement made available to our correspondent, Olabisi urged the Inspector-General of Police to intervene and investigate what he described as renewed attacks on APC members.

n

He said, “The Executive Chairman of Ilesa-West Local Government Council Area of the state, Olabide Oluwasegun, who narrowly escaped assassination when political hoodlums invaded his residence, disclosed that no fewer than four APC members had been killed within three days in the town.

n

“The new pattern of killings of our members by Accord Party hoodlums is reminiscent of the 2022 incidents when no fewer than 30 of our members and supporters were extra-judicially murdered across the state.

n

“We are urging the Inspector-General of Police to direct the state commissioner of police to investigate the development and bring the culprits and their sponsors to justice.”

n

n

Residents hide political identities

n

Political observers also point to a growing climate of fear, saying many residents are now reluctant to openly identify with any political party.

n

What once appeared harmless, such as wearing a cap in a party’s colours, is increasingly seen as a security risk.

n

Some residents who spoke with our correspondent said they had deliberately stopped wearing party-branded items or displaying political symbols to avoid attacks.

n

A commercial motorcyclist in Osogbo, Tajudeen Olaore, and a trader at Oluode Market, Simbiat Adeola, said they had resolved to reject party souvenirs until after the election.

n

Olaore cited the killing of a teenager, Ezekiel Olapade, in Ilobu by suspected political hoodlums.

n

According to him, the attackers allegedly targeted a man wearing a cap in the colours of the Accord Party but instead hit the teenager with a stray bullet.

n

“Until after the election, I won’t accept any souvenir from political parties again. Open display of party colours is exposing people to unnecessary danger. Many people are also afraid to disclose their political interests. Those hoodlums are everywhere,” Olaore said.

n

n

Cultists behind killings, we are going after them — Osun CP

n

The Osun State Commissioner of Police, Gotan, however, attributed many of the killings to cult-related activities.

n

Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting convened to address insecurity, he said many suspects had been arrested and prosecuted.

n

The police commissioner also pledged to intensify efforts to rid the state of criminal elements and ensure a peaceful environment for the election.

n

“We have been able to arrest many of them. Some are in academic institutions. The perpetrators of these killings are mostly cultists.

n

“Many tertiary institutions have these bad elements. We are going to intensify surveillance in those schools because we have recovered pump-action guns and other weapons from some campuses.

n

“We have a department headed by a youth officer who regularly engages students. We are running several programmes to discourage young people from joining cult groups, and I assure you that, in the long run, cult-related crimes will reduce significantly in the state,” he said.

n

Beyond the blame game between the APC and Accord Party, civil society groups have also expressed concern over the conduct of political actors and security agencies. The Chairman of the Osun Civil Societies Coalition, Waheed Lawal, urged politicians to focus on issue-based campaigns instead of violence, warning that escalating hostilities could further undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

n

Lawal also stressed the need for security agencies to maintain neutrality, arguing that perceptions of partisanship could worsen tensions. He criticised the failure to arrest individuals allegedly seen carrying dangerous weapons in public, insisting that security agencies must act professionally and enforce the law without fear or favour.

n

His concerns echo those of many residents and political observers who fear that the absence of decisive action against perpetrators of violence could embolden political thugs and further destabilise the state ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

n n