* Lawmaker denies sponsoring thugs
Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
Tension heightened in Ekiti State ahead of Saturday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary election following the arrest of 11 suspected thugs allegedly plotting to disrupt the exercise.
The Ekiti State Police Command, which paraded the suspects, linked them to a serving federal lawmaker, who has, however, denied any involvement in the alleged plot.
The police described the development as an attempt to destabilise the APC primary election in Moba/Ilejemeje/Ido-Osi Federal Constituency after operatives raided Onikoyi Hotel in Ikun-Ekiti and recovered firearms, including pump-action guns.
Parading the suspects before journalists in Ado-Ekiti, the command’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Falade Adegoroye Michael, said the operation followed credible intelligence that armed hoodlums had assembled in the hotel ahead of the primary election.
According to the police commissioner, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) stormed the hotel around 9 p.m. on May 14, arresting seven suspects, while several others escaped in three vehicles.
The arrested suspects were identified as Adekunle Stephen, Adepoju Adebayo, Boluwaji Ishola, Oluwatobi Adeoluwa, Akintunde Emmanuel, Adewale Makanjuola and Ibitola Babatope.
Items recovered from the suspects included two pump-action guns, one Beretta pistol, nine rounds of 9mm live ammunition, four live cartridges, substances suspected to be charms, two Apple laptops and a Honda Accord vehicle allegedly belonging to one of the suspects.
The police further disclosed that a follow-up operation led to the interception of an unregistered Toyota Sienna bus conveying four fleeing suspects identified as Abanikanda Sikiru, Dayo Ibijowo, Ajayi Dele and Adegbite Damola, during which another pump-action gun was allegedly recovered.
CP Micheal said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly confessed to being thugs recruited to disrupt the APC primary election.
He added that the suspects allegedly linked the lawmaker, who represents Moba/Ilejemeje/Ido-Osi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and is seeking re-election, to the operation.
The commissioner, however, stressed that investigations were ongoing and assured the people that all suspects would be prosecuted at the conclusion of investigations, while efforts were being intensified to apprehend fleeing suspects and their alleged sponsors.
Reacting to the allegations, the lawmaker denied sponsoring hoodlums to disrupt the exercise, describing the claim as politically motivated and a deliberate attempt to tarnish his image ahead of the primary election.
Speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti, he said only two of the arrested persons were known to him, identifying them as members of his media team.
“They said they went to that hotel and caught some people. It is only two people that I know among them — the head of my media team and my assistant media aide, Boluwatife Ishola and Babatope Ibitola. They are media professionals well known in Ekiti State and have never been involved in criminality,” he said.
He maintained that none of the other suspects was from his federal constituency or worked for him.
“The rest that were arrested are well known in town. None of them is from my federal constituency, none works for me and I do not live in the hotel. I only lodged there briefly when my house was fumigated and had since returned home,” he added.
The lawmaker further alleged that some of those arrested were government appointees and “non-state actors” allegedly working for interests opposed to his ambition.
Questioning the allegation that he supplied weapons to the suspects, he said: “How can they say I bought guns for people? Do I even own a gun? I had thriving businesses before joining politics. I am not a puppet.”
He also accused one of his opponents in the primary election of attempting to intimidate voters and manipulate the process instead of campaigning across the constituency.
“My opponent is only eager to write results. He is not ready for the primary or the real contest. Democracy is government of the people, not an individual sitting comfortably at home and writing results,” he stated.