Osun Commissioner Beaten By Thugs In Ondo
Suspected political thugs, on Thursday, attacked the Commissioner for Regional Integration of the State of Osun, Hon. Bola Ilori, at the All Progressives Congress (APC) zonal meeting on restructuring and true federalism held in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The venue of the meeting suddenly turned into a battle field when the thugs descended on Ilori, who was one of the delegates representing Osun State at the meeting.
The thugs who gave him serious beating of his life, also tore his clothes and undergarment before security personnel at the venue came to his rescue .
It would be recalled that Ilori , a native of Ondo City, supported Chief Olusola Oke against the state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu at the last governorship primaries of the party .
When his candidate failed to picked the ticket of the party, Ilori and Oke dumped the APC for Alliance for Democracy (AD)
At Thursday’s meeting, Ilori and other delegates, led by Mr. Adedeji Gbadegesin from Osun had made presentations on behalf of their state and was about to grant interview to the journalists when the thugs came to order him out of the venue, saying that the event was organized by the APC and not for Alliance for Democracy(AD) members .
While trying to explain why he was at the venue for the programme, the suspected thugs told him to keep quiet, saying “You cannot come here, you are not an APC member. You didn’t support us during the last governorship election.”
Before he could defend himself, the thugs descended on him and tore his clothes .
Ilori had to run back into the hall to avoid being lynched by the hoodlums.
He accused the current Secretary to the Ondo State Government, Hon. Abegunde Ifedayo of being behind the attack.
The matter degenerated into a crisis between the delegates from Osun State and Ondo State, before the intervention of the security agents at the venue.
However, the Commissioner for Information in Ondo State, Mr Yemi Olowolabi said Ilori and the Osun State’s delegates were the aggressors as they came prepared to cause crisis at the venue of the event.
Olowolabi said “These people (Osun) came prepared with charms, ammunition, cudgels and Oranmiyan flags. It was supposed to be an APC’s event, why would they come with charms and Oranmiyan’s flags? They have come here to foment trouble.
“They came for trouble, if we had retaliated, there would have been bloodshed. We remained calm despite the unwarranted provocation. Bola Ilori did not speak for Osun. I advised Ilori to eschew violence and let peace reign. What happened today was avoidable if he (Ilori) had not seized the microphone”
