Osun Guber: Tension as gunmen kill Accord Party stalwart, Rogba Ajayi, in Esa Oke

Grief and anger swept through the ancient town of Esa-Oke in Osun State on Tuesday evening after Aderogba Ajayi, popularly known as Rogba and a member of the Accord Party, was shot dead by yet-to-be-identified gunmen.

The killing, which occurred at a junction in the town, has heightened political tension in Osun State less than two months before the August 15 governorship election.

Governor Ademola Adeleke, who visited the deceased’s family in Esa-Oke on Wednesday, described Rogba as “a hero” and said his death must not be in vain.

The governor was received by the family of the deceased, as well as Accord members and leaders across the Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency.

Narrating how her husband was killed, Tolulope, wife of Aderogba, directly linked the killing to the personal assistant of Hon. Wole Oke, identified as Omo Aje. She said the town’s youth leader, Fakunle Oladapo, was on the phone with Wole Oke’s aide before the attackers arrived.

She also named six alleged APC thugs said to have been around the area at the time of the killing. According to her, her husband was murdered in the presence of both herself and their son.

Mrs Aderogba told the governor and the visiting team that Fakunle Oladapo informed the deceased that Omo Aje wanted him to come and see Hon. Wole Oke. She said her husband declined the invitation, insisting that he would never leave the Accord Party or work with Wole Oke again.

She further said Fakunle Oladapo kept pressuring her husband to honour the invitation even as the Sienna bus conveying the attackers arrived at the scene. She added that the same youth leader persuaded her husband not to leave despite the looming danger.

“My husband was shot by men in black suits. When the bullet did not penetrate, Oladapo Fakunle removed the bag on my husband’s neck and the men in suits then fired another round of shots which hit him, alongside machete attacks. He died before we reached the hospital. Fakunle Oladapo then fled Esa-Oke,” she recounted.

In his remarks, Adeleke called on traditional rulers in Osun to condemn the killing of innocent residents for political purposes.

“The Commissioner of Police has refused to act on several attacks. Therefore, I have sent videos and several reports of such frequent gun attacks and killings to the Inspector General of Police. Osun people demand answers,” Adeleke said.

“I have reached out to the Presidency on the orchestrated violence against my people. Osun APC leaders like Wole Oke, Gboyega Oyetola, Kola Oyebamiji, and others are breeding thugs and fomenting violence instead of seeking the votes of the people. Osun people will avenge the killings through the ballots,” he added.

“Our fallen members are heroes of our struggle for our democratic rights. They will not die in vain. As Osun APC and their thugs are shedding the blood of the innocent, that party will not rise again in Osun State. The blood of those killed will haunt the killers,” the governor declared.

“Osun Accord has the capacity to defend and protect our members. We are not cowards, but we are waiting for security agencies to do their lawful duties. I have been prevailing on my members not to resort to self-help. We are waiting on those with the constitutional mandate of law enforcement to act,” he said.

“The patience of our people is growing thin. That is why I am once again calling on the Inspector General of Police to reshuffle the Osun police command structure. That is why we have called detailed attention to the almost deliberate refusal of the police commissioner to arrest known suspects and political thugs,” Adeleke stated.

Addressing the victim’s family, the governor promised state support for the children and immediate family of the deceased. He described the incident as “one killing too many” and urged political actors to maintain peace ahead of the August 15 election.

“The killing has been reported at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Esa-Oke.

“If you allow them to win, that means Rogba died in vain. Rogba is a hero,” Adeleke told mourners.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, said it was “appalling that the governor frivolously assumed the role of the police by making insinuations suggesting the killing was carried out by the opposition.”

According to him, “Governor Adeleke should sit up for once and provide quality governance that guarantees the constitutional protection of the lives and property of the people of the state, as he swore to do during the inauguration of his administration over three years ago.”

“The escalating rate of violent criminal activities in the state since the inception of the Governor Adeleke administration clearly shows the monumental failure of his government, especially in the area of security,” Olabisi added.