Posted by By AKEEB ALARAPE, Ibadan on
The strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu suffered a big political loss weekend as one of his close associates, Alhaji Lateef Olaniyan (a.k.a. Lati Oshogbo) has been killed by some unkown gunmen.
The strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu suffered a big political loss weekend as one of his close associates, Alhaji Lateef Olaniyan (a.k.a. Lati Oshogbo) has been killed by some unkown gunmen.
The deceased who was said to be driving alone in his Nissan Bluebird car was trailed by the assassins to Elewure bus stop, Sanngo, in Ibadan. He was shot dead while negotiating a bend to his nearby home at about 8.30pm. The bullet penetrated hisleft temple. The assailants however escaped in their car after ascertaining that they had killed their target.
As at the time of filing this report, the police had taken the corpse of the deceased to the Adeoyo State Hospital, Yemetu for autopsy. His remains were later buried at 4pm Sunday at his Ibadan residence according to Muslim rites.
As expected, the Adedibu camp has accused the Oyo State Government of being the brain behind the assassination. The Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Mr. Rufai Sanusi, who led a team of policemen to the home of the deceased, told Daily Sun that the police were already working on clues that could lead to the unravelling of the dastardly act.
Confirming the news, Sanusi said that the deceased was returning home from a meeting at Adedibu's house when he was killed. He said that though no arrest had been made, the police would 'leave no stone unturned" to get to the root of the matter. He appealed to members of the public to cooperate and offer any relevant information on the matter.
His words, 'the public should not panic. All hands are on deck. The police will use all the means available to see that these murderers are arrested and taken to court for justice".
Morufat, one of the daughters of the deceased, revealed that the initial information they heard was that their father was involved in an accident, only to discover later that he was shot by unknown assassins.
An associate of Adedibu, Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi, said that it was obvious that the state government was behind the killing. He said that the deceased commanded strong political influence in his area and was a committed ally of Adedibu.
'He was a great motivator in that area. They know the crowd he was pulling. He was working towards 2007. If they are not ready to tell us why, we are prepared to say it. We are not afraid to be killed one by one. It is the state government that should be held responsible for his death," he said.
In his reaction to the allegation, the Special Adviser to the Oyo State Governor on Strategy and Media matters, Prince Ade Adekanmbi, said that the government does not know anything about the ugly incident.
'This government does not know anything about the killing of Alhaji Olaniyan. It is an unfortunate incident. And I can tell you that the police have been called in to investigate the matter. This government does not believe in violence in whatever form. And
this has been said many times at fora. It is a common knowledge that our governor is a man of peace who abhors violence in whatever form. The police will investigate the matter," Adekanmbi said.