By Gbenga Sodeinde
No fewer than four persons, including a businessman, Chief Bode Olayinka (BOS), were wounded with property and goods worth millions of naira destroyed when a group of political thugs allegedly led by one Gbenga Oluwafemi popularly known as Owolesu, who is currently with the Ekiti State Police Command, allegedly attacked some chieftains of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Efon Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
The attack was not unconnected with an alleged attempt by a group allegedly loyal to one of the rival leaders in the local government to allegedly silence other aspirants to allegedly impose his preferred candidates ahead of local government election coming up in December this year.
Narrating his ordeals to newsmen at the premises of Ekiti State Police Command in Ado Ekiti, one of the victims of the attack with plaster on his forehead, Mr. Olaitan Olayinka, explained that the assailants numbering about 20 allegedly attacked them with cutlasses, dane gun and other dangerous weapons in front of their family house while relaxing on Monday evening.
“My name is Olaitan Olayinka, a youger brother to Chief Bode Olayinka,(BOS). I am an event planner staying in Efon after my retirement as a civil servant.
“I’m interested in contesting for the chairmanship of my local government area, which in Efon.
“There is a group of political thugs led by one Gbenga Oluwafemi called G9. The group was created by Hon. Karounwi and he has been using them to get whatever he wants either by force or other means.
“And this time around, they are saying, they don’t want any other aspirant to contest against Hon. Karounwi Oladapo’s preferred candidate who happens to be his personal driver, one Niyi Babalola, but I have maintained my ground that I will contest and win because there is a freedom of association and that anyone who emerges during the primary election will be supported by all.
“But, on 31st of July, 2023 during a masquerade event in Efon, the thugs had wanted to forcefully remove a cap I did as part of my political awareness strategies ahead of the poll from one of my supporters, Mr. Boboye Olamilekan (JEKOMO), and when the guy refused to surrender it, they descended on him, beat and tore his clothes.
“Immediately the boy came to report to me, I begged him that I don’t want to fight with anybody now since election is still far ahead and I put a call across to Chief Jeje who happens to be one of APC stalwarts in Efon to inform him about the development.
“Chief Jeje later called back to inform me that he had warned the leader of the group, Oluwafemi(Owolesu) to henceforth stop the nonsense he was doing.
“I thought everything was settled, but around 8pm, my brother Chief Bode Olayinka, my sister, Mrs. Jumoke Oladaiye, all of the same parents and others, were sitting in front of our family house taking some drinks and pepper soup when we saw the group led by Gbenga Oluwafemi again moving round the streets and they came to us that everybody should leave the place and Oluwafemi said he had been indtructed to kill Chief Bode Olayinka and destroy the entire place. We were just looking at him in amazement.”
He added: “One boy then questioned his authority to give such order, insisting that he bought the drinks and that he cannot just ask him to leave because he came there to enjoy himself.
“Oluwafemi (Owolesu) immediately took a bottle and smashed it on his leg.
“My brother, Chief Olayinka, now intervened and said, why are you doing this in my presence Owolesu? But he replied it was you (BOS) that I have even come to kill.
“Then Oluwafemi’s daughter, Blessing, who was part of the attackers, took a chair and hit my brother ( Bode Olayinka) on his head. Thereafter, they entered my shop where I sell beer in wholesale, destroyed many cartons, used bottles and other dangerous weapons to attack anyone they saw and also vandalised nearly all the glasses in our house.
“Along the line, I was just trying to protect my brother, Chief Olayinka, because he is an elderly man and I don’t want him to be killed.
“One of them also hit my head with weapon and blood started gushing out from our body. It took the intervention of the military personnel who came to rescue us before we were allowed to go to the General Hospital for treatment.
“We called the police in Efon but they couldn’t come. They said the boys will attack them. But the military personnel later arrested the leader of the gang, Gbenga Oluwafemi (Owolesu), and handed him over to the police.”
Olayinka said four of the wounded victims were at the police headquarters in Ado Ekiti to make a formal statement with the police.
While blaming the unfortunate incident on Karounwi, the APC chieftain said that the commissioner’s alleged support for them had been causing a lot of crises within the APC in Efon Local Government Area of the State.
He called on Governor Biodun Oyebanji to intervene and save his family members and party leaders from further attacks that can lead to political explosion in the area.
All attempts to confirm the development from the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Sunday Abutu, proved abortive as calls put across to him could not be “completed”.
However, a source from the Police Headquarters confirmed that Oluwafemi (Owolesu) is being detained at the Rapid Response Sqaud (RRS) Unit in Ado Ekiti.
But when contacted on phone, Karounwi who not only denied the allegation vehemently, said he was not where near Efon during the attack and could not even relate or substantial the extent or otherwise of the attack.
The former Deputy Speaker pointed it was just one of the lies cooked up to smear his image being a political Bigwig, saying, “it was all a cooked up lies to frame me up in the attack, i never knew any about it, I was never anywhere near Efon during the attack, In fact, i didn’t know anything about, all their antics was ochastrated and cooked up, put my name, all in a bid to bring me down” Karounwi added.
Victims’ Photos: 
