A suspect arrested in connection with the alleged attempted assassination All Progressives Congress Campaign Director-general and Federal lawmaker, Hon. Wole Oke, has denied any intention to harm the politician, insisting that he was only carrying out instructions from a group leader.
The suspect, Oriyomi Olamilekan, who identified himself as an Internet Technology practitioner, disc jockey (DJ) and an ND graduate, narrated his account while speaking in a viral video obtained by our reporter.
According to him, the incident occurred at the end of June when Wole Oke visited Ipetu-Ijesa for a political rally.
Olamilekan said he was on his way to Ado-Ekiti, where he resides, when he received a call from a man he identified as “Omo Akin,” whom he described as his gang leader, directing him to come to the garage in front of the palace.
He said he obeyed the instruction because he could not disobey his gang leader, adding that he is a member of the Aiye confraternity.
The suspect alleged that upon meeting Omo Akin at the Total filling station, the latter showed him injuries he claimed to have sustained in an accident before handing him a bag.
According to Olamilekan, Omo Akin told him not to worry about getting a cap for members, saying Hon. Wole Oke would provide money.
He further claimed that members of the group led the politician’s entourage from the palace to Ita-Merin and back to the palace for a mini rally, where they were stationed at the entrance to provide security in case rival political supporters caused violence.
Olamilekan said that after Wole Oke shared money with supporters, some people surrounded the politician’s vehicle, apparently because they saw cash in his hand.
He alleged that Omo Akin then instructed him to remove the item inside the bag to clear the way.
The suspect said he was surprised to discover that the bag contained a gun. He added that as soon as he brought out the firearm, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) ordered him to stop.
He explained that he became frightened and fled with the gun because, according to him, his leader did not come to his defence before he was eventually arrested.
Olamilekan denied claims that he intended to attack Wole Oke, insisting that he and his family have long-standing ties to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He maintained that he was born into the APC and described Wole Oke as “our true leader,” stressing that he had no intention of harming him.
Olamilekan said: “At the end of June, Hon. Wole Oke came to Ipetu-Ijesa for a rally. That day, I was supposed to be going to Ado because I live in Ado, not Ipetu. On my way out of the town, one of our gang leaders, Omo Akin, called me and said, ‘Oke, where are you? Come to the garage in front of the palace.’ As a gang leader, I can’t disobey him. I am an Aiye member, so I rushed there.
“When I got to the Total Filling Station, I did not see him. As he was coming, I asked, ‘Brother, what happened to your body like this?’ He said he had an accident, gave me a bag, and showed me the wounds he sustained from the accident. I told him, ‘Bro, you are not supposed to come to this kind of place. You are supposed to be going to the hospital.’ He said, ‘When Honour gives us money…’ I asked him, ‘Are you not going to give we members caps?’ He told me not to worry. The Honourable I mentioned is Hon. Wole Oke.
“As he arrived, Hon. Wole Oke passed through the palace to Ita-Merin and back to the palace for a mini rally. We were the ones who led and cleared the road for them during the walk. When we got to the palace, we were at the entrance where they were holding the meeting because the rival party could come and cause violence, so we were there for security purposes.
“The next thing, when the Honourable was about to leave, he had shared money with everyone. I think it was because of the cash they saw in his hand that they surrounded his car, obstructing his movement. We were the security personnel, and Omo Akin told me that was the work he collected. He then told me to remove what was inside the bag he gave me to clear the way.
“When I opened the bag, I found a gun. He told me to bring it out. As I brought it out, the DPO told me to wait. When he said I should wait, I became afraid. That was how I ran away because our leader did not defend me. So I ran with the gun, I was arrested, and that was how I got to the station.
“There’s nothing like attack, I am an APC member. My mother, father and our entire family are APC members. I was born into the APC. There’s nothing like I wanted to harm Hon. Oluwole Oke. He is our true leader.”
