Soldiers yesterday took over the streets
of Ado-Ekiti to restore order after 24
hours of arson and bloodletting by
thugs.
The soldiers patrolled the state
capital to ensure there was no
repeat of the Thursday night m****r
of a former chairman of the Nigeria
Union of Road Transport Workers
(NURTW) in the state, Chief Omolafe
Aderiye, and the Friday burning of
Governor Kayode Fayemi Campaign
Secretariat and some vehicle in the
premises by thugs.
Twice, earlier in the week,
hoodlums had attacked perceived
political opponents of the Governor-
elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, within
the premises of the State High Court,
Ado Ekiti after Justice Isaac
Ogunyemi assumed jurisdictional
power to hear and try Fayose in a
case instituted by E-11, a socio-
political group based in the state,
over his eligibility to contest for the
June 21 governorship election.
Justice Ogunyemi had dismissed the
application by counsel to the
Governor-elect which challenged the
court’s competence to try the case.
The PDP accused Governor Fayemi
and his party, APC, of
masterminding Aderiye’s m****r.
The former NURTW leader was
allegedly shot at close range while
relaxing with friends and associates
about 8:30pm at his office at Ijigbo
area of Ado-Ekiti, by men dressed in
mobile police uniform. The
assailants sped off in a white car as
soon as they accomplished their
mission.
As the day broke on Friday,
hoodlums attacked the governor’s
campaign office and set it and some
vehicles parked therein ablaze.
Fayemi went on air and imposed a
curfew with a view to stemming the
violence.
He blamed the Governor-elect, Ayo
Fayose, and the PDP for instigating
the arson, and the police for not
intervening.
“I am advised incontrovertibly that
thugs acting on the command of Mr.
Ayo Fayose, who was also present to
lend his clout to the travesty,
brazenly assaulted a senior judge
and urged his thugs to beat him up
and tear his clothes,” Gov. Fayemi
said, adding that the thugs whose
action exceeded the limits of
acceptable behaviour, carried out
their scandalous attacks in the “full
glare of law enforcement agents”.
According to him, the failure of the
security agents to deal appropriately
with the court invasions
emboldened them to unleash terror
later in the week.
However, the soldiers deployed
yesterday went round in trucks.
Many shops in the town remained
shut over fear of fresh trouble.
The state Police Command said it
has arrested some suspects in
connection with the court invasion.
But no arrest has yet been made in
connection with the assassination of
Aderiye. The command, in a
statement said the Police
Commissioner, Taiwo Lakanu,
personally “led a section of mobile
and conventional policemen out all
night and was able to forestall the
breakdown of law and order
generated by the killing.”
It enjoined the people to comply
with the dust to dawn curfew order
made by the governor and warned
that “any person or group of
persons found flouting the order or
breaking the law will be adequately
dealt with in accordance with the
law.”
Meanwhile, the Ekiti State PDP
yesterday described the Friday
broadcast by Governor Fayemi as a
further demonstration of his
insensitivity.
The party wondered why the
governor would address the state
without making reference to the
murdered Aderiye or sympathising
with his family.
The governor visited the bereaved
family on Friday.
It said:”Instead of showing concern
for the soul already lost, Fayemi’s
concern was ‘Court Cases’ with
which he intends to remain in
power despite that Ekiti people
rejected him totally on June 21, 2014.
This is the height of wickedness!”
It dismissed as an aberration his
directive to the state Attorney
General to issue a legal advisory to
the Chief Judge of the state and all
the parties to the existing cases in
the State High Court and the Ekiti
State Governorship Elections
Petitions Tribunal, on the
desirability of seeking an alternative
venue for the hearing of these cases
outside the state.
“Obviously, Fayemi has lost it all.
The governor has allowed himself to
be taken over by desperation to
remain in power such that he could
not understand that what he asked
the Attorney-General to do simply
amount to interfering in the
workings of the judiciary, a separate
arm of government,” the PDP said
