A socio-political group, identified as Asiwaju Grassroots Foundation (AGF), Osun State chapter, on Saturday decried the Thursday reported attack on Osun State Commissioner for Regional Integration, Bola Ilori, by armed group suspected to be political thugs in Ondo State.
The group also urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris and the Ondo State governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu to order probe into the incident and ensure that the culprits were made to face the full wrath of law.
In a press statement jointly signed by its acting coordinator and the secretary, Comrade Tijani Sikiru and Comrade Adeniji Yahaya, which was made available to journalists in Osogbo yesterday, the group contended that making the culprits to face the music would forestall the reoccurrence of such attacks in the future.
It would be recalled that, Ilori, an indigene of Ondo State, who is a also a serving commissioner in the cabinet of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun was allegedly assaulted by some hoodlums at the zonal meeting of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
He was allegedly attacked assaulted shortly after he (Ilori) left the International Event Centre, Akure, the venue of the programme, to grant interview to reporters at the entrance of the hall.
Describing the attack as “calculated criminal action” and a veiled attack on the Governor Rauf Aregbesola, AGF wondered how someone could be “openly attacked, manhandled and almost stripped naked despite heavy presence of security details of the Ondo State Deputy Governor, Hon Agboola Ajayi and that of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG).
The statement reads, “the sponsors of those hoodlums who attacked Bola Ilori have forgotten that they have either directly or indirectly attacked and assaulted the governor of Osun and leadership of the APC in the South West Nigeria.
“We consider the attack as rude, criminal and flagrant disrespect to rule of law and violation of the right of Hon Bola Ilori. We however call on the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris to specially investigate the police personnel deployed for the conference, particularly the security details of the Ondo State Deputy Governor and the SSG who were physically present when the suspected political thugs attacked and made attempt on the life of Bola Ilori.
“Perpetrators of such heinous act, who openly displayed firearms and injured participants at the conference must be urgently rounded up without further delay. The temerity of the thugs posed a serious danger to the peace of Ondo, and if not timely checked, only God knows would-be next victim of that criminality”, the statement added.
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