The Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned Thursday night gruesome murder of the former chairman of Ekiti state chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Omolafe Aderiye by hired assassins.
In the same vein, the Minister of State for Works, Adedayo Adeyeye has condemned the murder, urging security agents in the State to fish out those responsible.
Adeyeye, who described Aderiye’s murder as barbaric, added that he was pained that quest by some people to remain in power against the people’s will could be allowed to degenerate to the level of daylight murder.
He commiserated with the family, friends and associates of the deceased, praying that God in His infinite mercies will console them and grant the deceased eternal rest.
“My heart is very heavy. My heart bleeds. This is painful and I am worried!
“I am worried because it never occurred to me that after showing to the whole world on June 21 that we were capable of electing our leaders in the most peaceful and transparent manner, we will be faced with murder of innocent souls and violent reactions, leading to destruction of properties.
“Obviously, those who carried the dastardly act of Thursday are haters of Ekiti and its people and the Almighty God will expose them.
“I urge the police and other security agencies to do everything possible to fish out the perpetrators and masterminds of the murder of Omolafe Aderiye,” the minister said.
The State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Kola Oluwawole who addressed a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Friday told Journalists that the killing was an act of wickedness, describing it as barbaric and satanic which cannot be separated from the clandestine activities of the All Progressive Congress government led by Dr Kayode Fayemi which he said has vowed to make the state ungovernable for the incoming administration of the Peoples Democratic Party.
“We’ve raised an alarm on the clandestine move by the Fayemi and his men to attack the Governor-Elect, Dr Ayo Fayose and some notable leaders in all the 16 Local Government Areas as from the 22nd of September 2014 while the killing of Aderiye who is one of the notable leader of the party in Ado Ekiti occurred on the 25th same month, this has vindicated our earlier claims.”
Oluwawole who said that the late Omolafe Aderiye was at the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ado Ekiti on the June 21 Governorship election in Ekiti State, when he mobilised all driver Union members and other associations in solidarity with the Governor-Elect, Dr Ayo Fayose, saying that as a result of his commitment to the mandate given to the Governor-Elect, he became a prime target of the ruling All Progressive Congress government.
In the morning of Thursday, the latest victim of the APC killers’ squad was beaming with smile without any premonition of the impending gruesome murder in the evening of same day at his Ijigbo office in Ado Ekiti.
“We don’t have any doubt in our mind if the information at our disposal is anything to go by and the murder incidence that have been linked directly with the All Progressive Congress members across the state in the past.
“Adeleye Awolumate who was killed on the 15th November, 2010 was the PDP chairman for Osun Ward in Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State. He was among the victims of the reign of terror unleashed on the state on Thursday, November 18, 2010 by the ACN thugs. Awolumate died at the Federal Medical Centre, Ido-Ekiti.
“Another major victim of the ACN terror gang was a six months old pregnant woman, Adeola Akande. Adeola was being slaughtered like a goat until she was rescued from the APC thugs but she however lost her pregnancy.
“Curiously, Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Rotimi Olabiwonu, alias “Mentilo” and former Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mr Tajudeen Hassan who were alleged to have murdered Chief Awolumate were arrested by the police and subsequently charged to court. They were however freed courtesy of the Fayemi-led government.
“At Kota-Ekiti, Ekiti East LG, Kehinde Fajuyi and Michael Ipinlaye were shot dead by thugs and policemen sent by the APC government. Interestingly, it was only the policemen who accompanied the thugs that were charged to court and convicted for murder while the thugs were left untouched!
“Another killing linked with the APC government was that of a 400 Level Accounting Student of the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti. Teslim who died as a result of injuries he sustained when a vehicle allegedly driven by one Mr. Tope Longe, the Senior Special Assistant (Special Duties) to Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi hit him on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 and he died on Friday, September 28, 2012”.
Oluwawole equally explained that one Ayo Murphy Jeje was shot dead at Erijiyan Ekiti by the ACN (now APC) thugs on March 30th, 2013 . Ayo Jeje was among the members of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) from Erijiyan-Ekiti that were billed to decamp to the PDP on Sunday, March 31, 2013. A meeting on their planned defection to the PDP was being held at about 8pm on Saturday, March 30, 2013 when the APC thugs attacked them, killing Ayo Jeje and injuring several others. On that same day, 76 year old Mrs Juliana Adewumi was also shot severally; she died few weeks later at the FMC, Ido-Ekiti.
According to Oluwawole the APC Chairman, Jide Awe and others are standing trial for their alleged involvement in the murder of Ayo Jeje and Juliana Adewumi.
He added that another victim of the Fayemi’s killers squad was a 37 year-old Foluso Ogundare who was brutally murdered by APC thugs in Emure Ekiti with one of the APC members in the Ekiti State House of Assemby, Kehinde Boluwade and eight others currently facing trial for this murder.
Also on June 9, 2014, one person (Taiwo Akinola) and several others were wounded in a fracas at Ijigbo area of Ado-Ekiti. Taiwo, who was going to his place of work, was allegedly shot by APC thugs. Several vehicles were also destroyed that day.
“The latest murder is that of Chief Omolafe Aderiye, former Chairman of NURTW in Ekiti State and a staunch supporter of Fayose and PDP who was brutally murdered by Fayemi’s thug in front of his office in Ijigbo area of Ado-Ekiti.
“We appeal to the Inspector General of Police and all relevant security agencies to bring to book the perpetrators of these dastard act so that those whose is to create a chaotic situation that will negatively affect the swearing-in of the Governor-Elect will not have their Way.
“We also implore the state commissioner of police and other security agencies to provide adequate security for the Governor-Elect and all the PDP leaders who have been marked for elimination by the Fayemi led government,” the party stated.
