Adeleke
Some hoodlums reportedly engaged security personnel attached to the convoy of Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, in a gun battle at the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, on Wednesday.
According to Vanguard report, the incident occurred shortly after Adeleke received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and visited the palace to celebrate his victory with the traditional ruler.
Sources at the palace disclosed that the hoodlums had allegedly laid siege to the area in an unregistered Toyota Sienna vehicle before the governor arrived.
The source said some of the hoodlums were involved in a heated argument before the shooting started, adding that the cause of the altercation and the intended target of the shooting could not immediately be established.
A shop owner close to the palace, Laide Misture, said gunshots were heard a few minutes after the governor and his entourage entered the palace.
According to her, the hoodlums fired from inside the main gate while the governor’s security team responded from within the palace. She said the shooting lasted for almost three minutes before the hoodlums fled in their vehicle before the governor’s convoy could leave the palace.
Confirming the incident, the Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said suspected hoodlums were involved in the shooting. He said the governor’s security team engaged the suspects while they were exiting the palace.
Alimi said the circumstances that led to the shooting remained unclear, adding that he only heard that an altercation had occurred between some groups outside the palace, but the cause of the disagreement and the identities of those involved were not known.