At least three people were injured during an Ilesa rally shooting on Saturday as violence disrupted an All Progressives Congress, APC, campaign rally in Ilesa West Local Government Area of Osun State.
Among those injured was 14-year-old Tobi Ilesanmi, who was reportedly shot around the Isokun area where the incident occurred. The incident has triggered competing allegations between the APC and the Accord Party, while police authorities said investigations were underway to establish what happened and determine those responsible.
The Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed that three people sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to different hospitals. According to him, the shooting occurred while an APC rally was ongoing.
Ojelabi alleged that some individuals identified as Amotekun personnel emerged from a vehicle bearing Osun State government registration number OSHAO4 and allegedly opened fire around the rally. He said some participants chased the fleeing occupants, with one of the suspected Amotekun operatives allegedly producing a knife before escaping.
Following a distress call, operatives of the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, reportedly moved towards the area. The police spokesperson said the tactical officers intercepted a white Lexus 350 that was approaching them and found an Amotekun operative inside. The occupant and another person in the vehicle were arrested and taken to the police headquarters in Osogbo.
Police said the second occupant was identified as Osun State Commissioner for Environment, Mayowa Adejoorin. Ojelabi said the arrests were necessary to determine the level of involvement of those detained in the incident. He added that investigators recovered four expended cartridges at the scene, while a pump-action firearm was also recovered from the Amotekun operative.
“The investigation is ongoing,” Ojelabi said.
The Head of the APC Campaign Council in Ilesa West, Folarin Fafowora, said the rally was nearing its conclusion when the shooting occurred. According to Fafowora, a vehicle overtook the procession, with the occupant identified as the Chief Whip of the Osun State House of Assembly, Wale Akerele. He said a gunshot was heard shortly afterwards, causing people at the rally to flee.
Fafowora alleged that more gunshots were subsequently fired around the Isokun roundabout, forcing him and others to seek cover. He said the incident created widespread panic and brought the rally to an abrupt disruption. Attempts to contact Akerele for his response were unsuccessful, while a WhatsApp message sent to him had not received a response as of the time of filing the report.
Meanwhile, the Imole Campaign Council spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, rejected allegations suggesting that the violence was perpetrated by individuals associated with the Accord Party. Olajengbesi instead accused APC members of firing weapons during the rally and attacking Accord supporters. He also alleged that properties belonging to Accord members were damaged, including the party’s secretariat.
“The video of Ilesa shooting is all over the place,” Olajengbesi said, while urging attention to the available footage of the incident.
The competing accounts have further heightened political tensions in Osun ahead of the forthcoming governorship election. For now, the police have confirmed the injuries and arrests but said investigations are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the Ilesa rally shooting and determine individual responsibility.
