A political procession in Ilesa turned violent on Friday, leaving three people wounded and prompting the arrest of a sitting state commissioner. The Osun State Police Command confirmed that Mayowa Anjorin, the Commissioner for Environment, and an Amotekun operative named Odeyemi Abimbola are now in custody after a shooting that sent chaos through the streets.
Witnesses described a scene of panic as suspected armed men stepped out of a vehicle bearing the registration number OSHA 04 and opened fire indiscriminately near the rally. Police spokesperson DSP Abiodun Ojelabi revealed that some of the shooters were wearing uniforms resembling those of the Osun State Security Network Agency, better known as Amotekun. The gunfire left Tobi Ilesanmi, Wasiu Alanide, and Aderemi Adedeji with injuries, and they were rushed to a hospital for treatment.
The violence did not end there. As the suspects tried to flee, angry members of the public gave chase. One alleged Amotekun operative, cornered by the crowd, reportedly pulled out a knife and attempted to attack those who had caught him before slipping away. Police later deployed operatives from the Force Intelligence Department-Intelligence Response Team to the area, where they spotted a Lexus with the registration number ABJ-89TS. Inside, they found a man identified as an Amotekun operative in possession of a pump-action firearm. Both he and another occupant were taken into custody and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for questioning.
Preliminary findings identified the second occupant as Anjorin, the environment commissioner. Investigators have also set their sights on a third figure, Wale Akerele, though police stressed that the link is still an allegation and that no one should be presumed guilty until the probe concludes. Recovered at the scene were four expended cartridges and an Amotekun cap.
The police have pledged a thorough investigation, promising to determine the circumstances of the shooting, trace the ownership of the firearms, and establish the exact role of everyone involved. In a statement, the command assured the public that the process would be carried out professionally, transparently, and without political bias, while urging political actors and their supporters to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information ahead of the upcoming governorship election.
The arrests, however, have ignited fury within the Accord party. Pelumi Olajengbesi, spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, accused security agencies of orchestrating politically motivated arrests across the state. He claimed that more than 60 Accord members have been detained in recent days, particularly in Ijesaland, and that the crackdown is crippling the party’s campaign efforts. Olajengbesi described the detention of one prominent member, Adejoorin, as nothing short of a bandit-like abduction carried out under the cover of police authority. He called on Inspector-General of Police Kayode Olatunji Disu to intervene, reminding the force that it belongs to the Nigerian people, not to the APC, Accord, PDP, or any political godfather.
In a separate twist, Accord raised alarm over alleged attempts to compromise the Independent National Electoral Commission’s electronic processes. The party’s state chairman, Pastor Victor Akande, claimed that suspected operatives had been brought into Osun from Lagos and Abuja and were operating from a hotel in Osogbo. He urged INEC and security agencies to investigate the matter and called for a strengthening of cybersecurity measures ahead of the election, as well as searches of locations allegedly being used to undermine the electoral process.
