The Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Mr. Ibrahim Maishanu, has said
that the command has arrested some persons suspected to have connection with
the killing of Pa Taiwo Ogundele in Ile Ife.
Maishanu said this at a press conference he addressed in Osogbo on
Tuesday.
He explained that the case of the 80-year-old man, who was shot to death
at the back of his house, was reported as a murder case. He nevertheless said
some people were now claiming that it was a political assassination.
He said that despite the disruption of the voter registration exercise
in some centres, the exercise was a huge success.
He appealed to politicians and other stakeholders to play the game by
the rule, saying this would assist the police to ensure that the atmosphere in
the state was conducive for peaceful election.
He, however, said that anybody caught fomenting trouble would be made to
face the wrath of the law. Maishanu said that he was not a politician and would
not take side, while assuring all the parties of fairness.
The CP also asked the people of the state to have confidence in the
police. He also urged them to supply the command with useful information, which
could help its offices to prevent crimes.
The CP said, “ I am aware of the killing but he was not killed at
a registration centre. It was reported to us as a murder case. He was
killed at the back of his house.
“Some arrests have been made and investigation is still ongoing. Our
detectives are working and if those mentioned are found to have anything to do
with it, they will be arrested and prosecuted.”
Responding to question on the explosive device found inside a branch of
First Bank in Osogbo about two weeks ago, he said that those behind the bomb
were up to a mischief.
According to him, the person that put the bomb near the bank wanted to
cause apprehension, while saying it has a political undertone.
He said, “We are conducting a discreet investigation into the case and
we are making progress. Whoever did it, did it mischievously; he wanted to
cause apprehension.
“The capacity of the Improvised Explosive Device is so low to cause any
serious trouble. Our investigation in ongoing and we have a clear idea of the
person who did it.”
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in Osun State has
said that the claim of the Peoples Democratic Party that
Ogundele’s killing was politically motivated was a falsification by the
opposition party.
The Director of Research and Strategy of the APC in Osun State, Mr.
Kunle Oyatomi, said this in a statement made available to our corespondent.
The statement read, “The PDP is turning what actually was a murder case
within their ranks to an assassination story against the All Progressives
Congress.
“The PDP story was an orchestrated fabrication and publicity stunt for a
desperate politician, notorious for links with violence now trying to give an
impression of a humanist.
“The story they told has no bearing with registration exercise
whatsoever. And they forgot shortly after the murder of this same Ogundele, the
PDP wanted to divert attention of the public from the actual event, by
attacking the father of the Ife East Local Government Executive Secretary.”
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Politics