Osun APC Condemns Alleged Politically Motivated Killings in Ila-Orangun, Osogbo, Ilesa

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised alarm over what it described as a resurgence of politically motivated killings in parts of the state, including Ila-Orangun, Osogbo and Ilesa, warning that the development poses a serious threat to public peace and the democratic process.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, and signed by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, the APC accused “desperate and disgruntled politicians” of allegedly orchestrating acts of violence aimed at intimidating opposition elements ahead of the forthcoming governorship election.

The party recalled similar incidents during the build-up to the 2022 elections, which it claimed led to the killing of about 30 APC members and supporters across the state, with no fewer than 17 allegedly murdered in Ijesaland alone.

According to the APC, the latest incident occurred in Ila-Orangun shortly after the 87th birthday celebration of former Osun State Governor and founding national chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande. The party alleged that a member of the APC, Mr. Lateef Ajitoba, was brutally murdered on the same day.

Ajitoba was identified as the driver to the Osun APC Assistant Organising Secretary, Alhaji Rasheed Adeniji, who is also a personal aide to Chief Akande. The statement said Ajitoba, who reportedly participated actively in the birthday celebration, had been released by his employer to return home for rest. However, when he failed to arrive home, a search was launched, leading to the discovery of his body in a gutter along Oke-Ogbun, Osogbo Road, Ila-Orangun, with multiple axe wounds.

The party stated that although the family had yet to identify the perpetrators, the circumstances surrounding the killing suggested a political motive, given the timing and the presence of APC leaders and supporters in the town on that day.

The APC also drew attention to another incident in Osogbo on Sunday evening involving the killing of Mr. Kazeem Oyebamiji, a former unit chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state. Images circulating on social media allegedly showed Oyebamiji’s lifeless body in a gutter, stripped naked, with severe head injuries.

The statement further alleged that some suspects linked to Oyebamiji’s killing were close to the seat of power in the state and had previously been declared wanted by the police in connection with earlier political violence, claiming they were evading arrest.

In addition, the APC recalled the killing of Mr. Adeboye Ademoroti, an NURTW leader and APC sympathiser, who was attacked and killed on November 27, 2025, in the Olomilagbala area of Ilesa by yet-to-be-identified assailants.

Condemning what it described as “extra-judicial political killings reminiscent of the 2022 and 2023 episodes,” the APC warned that continued violence could undermine peace, security and democratic governance in the state.

The party called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend those responsible and their alleged sponsors, insisting that justice must be served.

It also cautioned political actors against attempting to win the forthcoming governorship election through violence, stressing that such tactics would not succeed.