By Kolawole Ojebisi
The battle for control of the council secretariats in Osun State between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) turned bloody, on Monday.
The tragic event reportedly occured in Ikire, the headquarters of Irewole Local Government of the state.
The trouble allegedly started when Remi Abbas, the purportedly reinstated Chairman of Irewole Local Government, reportedly led other sacked council officials to take over in line with an appeal court’s verdict
Abbas and his allies overpowered throng of people believed to be PDP supporters trying to repelled them and forcefully gained entry into the secretariat.
However, after taking over the secretariat gunshots allegedly fired by hoodlums working for killed Abass.
It was gathered that several other party faithful from both parties were injured during an exchange of gunshots
The New Diplomat gathered that in the heat of the gun battle some hoodlums also stormed the highway shooting sporadically into the air.
The development created tension in the community and forced motorists to make detour to avoid being caught in the cross fire.
“The thugs came out from the building opposite the Secretariat, wielding gun. They deliberately targeted the council chairman. Many surrounded him and did not allow him to escape from the scene and killed him”, a resident of Ikire community told newsmen on ground.
Reacting to the crisis, the Commissioner for Protocol and Government Affairs in the state, Mr Soji Ajeigbe claimed that two PDP members, Ege and Igara, were killed by gun-wielding thugs.
“Apart from those killed, six others were killed while they were attempting to take-Over the Secretariat. We have deposited the bodies in the morgue while the injured were receiving treatment at the hospital”, he said.
Recall that both the PDP and APC have been laying claim to control of the third tier of government for close to a week now.
The APC claimed that the Court of Appeal judgement delivered last week has reinstated the sacked elected council chairmen and councillors while the State Government said the election was nullified by the Federal High Court in Osogbo.
