The Imole Campaign Council, coordinating the re-election campaign of Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has called for a thorough investigation into the killing of Kolade Eluyera, reportedly the son of the women leader of the Accord Party in Irewole Local Government Area.
The victim was allegedly shot dead late Friday in Ikire, Osun State, by unidentified gunmen.
Confirming the incident on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, said police recovered the corpse with gunshot injuries.
He added that the Commissioner of Police had deployed additional operatives to the area as investigations continued.
“Investigation is ongoing and the Commissioner of Police has deployed more personnel to the area.
We are also working with those who brought the corpse to obtain more information,” Ojelabi said.
Meanwhile, spokesperson for the campaign council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, alleged in a statement that the attack was carried out near Onireke Mosque in Ikire by suspected political thugs linked to the All Progressives Congress.
According to him, several complaints and security alerts had earlier been submitted to security agencies regarding alleged intimidation, harassment and attacks targeting members of the Accord Party in the area.
Olajengbesi claimed that despite repeated warnings, no decisive action was taken by law enforcement agencies to prevent the violence that eventually led to the killing.
“What is unfolding in Osun State is becoming dangerously alarming and poses a serious threat to democracy, public peace and political freedom,” he stated.
He also sympathised with the family of the deceased and members of the Accord Party affected by the incident.
The campaign spokesperson further accused security agencies of failing to respond adequately to repeated reports of politically motivated violence, describing the situation as disturbing to residents and political stakeholders.
He called on the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services and other security agencies to launch an independent investigation into the incident.
Reacting to the allegations, co-chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee of the Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji Governorship Election Campaign Council, Kola Olabisi, dismissed claims linking the APC to the attack.
Olabisi urged political actors not to politicise the killing, insisting that security agencies should be allowed to investigate and identify those responsible.
He described the allegations against the APC as false and politically motivated, accusing the Adeleke campaign council of spreading misinformation to gain political advantage ahead of the governorship election.
According to him, violence and political thuggery had never been associated with the APC, adding that the party’s governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, remained a peaceful politician incapable of sponsoring violence.