Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has directed an investigation into the alleged attacks in Egbedi town, which resulted in seven people being injured. The incident occurred in two separate attacks allegedly carried out by some individuals from Ede
According to the Elegbedi of Egbedi, Oba Muideen Azeez, two people were inflicted with machete cuts on Wednesday, while five others were shot on Thursday by armed individuals. Governor Adeleke has assured the people of Egbedi of adequate protection and has directed the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters to investigate the incident and restore peace in the area.
The governor has rejected the involvement of the state government in the incident and advised against politicizing the issue. “We should avoid politicizing every incident. I have no gun-wielding appointee. I didn’t send anybody to foment a communal crisis. We will get to the root of the matter,” Governor Adeleke stated.
A viral video shared on social media showed armed men walking towards a vehicle parked in the middle of the road, with people raining curses on them. After entering their vehicle and leaving the scene, repeated gunshots were heard, with people mentioning the name of Kazeem Oriade, an aide to the Osun State Governor.
Oriade accused Egbedi residents of attacking him while he was traveling through the town to Ede alongside his aides on Thursday. He claimed that the residents were armed and made video recordings of them as they passed through the area. Oriade stated that he and his aides were shot at, and their vehicle was riddled with bullets.
The incident is the latest in a series of violent clashes in Osun State, which has been experiencing tensions between rival groups. The state government has been working to restore peace and stability in the affected areas.