The brutalized leader of Ikorodu Council, Hon. Ayobami Issa and three ward councilors who said they escaped being killed or lynched by thugs allegedly hired by Ikorodu local government chairman, Hon. Wasiu Adesina have debunked accusation by Hon. Adesina that they vandalized council properties and premeditated other unwholesome acts.
Hon. Adesina had recently alleged that these councilors violently carried out destruction of offices and properties of Ikorodu local government to protest recent ward congress lists of the All Progressives Congress in Ikorodu.
But the quartet told Oriwu Sun that it was a framed up allegation by Hon. Adesina to cover up the brutal attack on the leader of the council and the other three during their visit to APC secretariat headquarters at Acme Road Ikeja on Wednesday, June 20, 2018.
Three of the four councilors involved in this matter were in Oriwu Sun on Thursday June 21, 2018 at the invitation of the Publisher, Chief Monzor Olowosago to hear their own side of the story following the complaints that Hon. Adesina had earlier made to Oriwu Sun on the threat to peace by these four councilors the previous day.
The Honourables – namely Awobajo representing Ward A, Banjoko (Ward D) and Hon. Awolesi (Ward C) thanked Oriwu Sun for the fair hearing given to them and said they had gone to APC secretariat in Lagos for a meeting of stakeholders to iron out the fall outs of the ward congress listings across the state and local governments.
According to the four councilors, they were attacked at Acme road by thugs they alleged were deployed by Hon. Adesina. The four fled in different directions, three escaped unhurt while the council leader, Hon. Ayobami Issa Salman who ran to a mosque was identified by a female who pointed him out to his attackers as the wanted council leader.
According to the four councilors, the leader of the council was dragged out and taken to an unknown place, where he was beaten to a pulp and his phones taken away.
The other three Hon. Awobajo Adegbenga, Hon. Banwo Azeez and Hon. Awolesi Omotayo escaped to Ikorodu and kept calling to know the whereabouts of their leader until he was eventually located. The three arranged a motorbike to pick the man and they brought him to Ikorodu council headquarter to report to the chairman, Hon. Adesina.
According to them, on reaching the council secretariat, they did not see Adesina’s three cars and found his office windows shut, so they sat the brutalized council leader on the floor of the council secretariat as local government staff came to see the man and were shocked.
The three councillors later decided to take their leader to Ikorodu General Hospital where he was accepted and was treated far into the night by doctors and nurses. The three provided the requirements of the hospital while the Council Manager and Council Treasurer also came to see the wounded leader in the hospital before he was allowed to go by 7p.m.
The three councilors alleged that Adesina’s thugs had used guns, machetes, canes, clubs, and batons in the attack and wondered how their chairman could descend to such violence.
According to them this was the fall out of the recent ward congress where Adesina’s camp wanted to doctor the list already approved by the state. They alleged that since the local government elections last year, Hon. Adesina thug had been oppressing all those who supported his opponent Junaid in that election, harassing them with thugs and refusing to honour. Their documents alleged that he attacked a supervising councilor and a contractor in the council beating them up and had defied Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s order that first timers should be allowed to continue while his 3rd and fourth timers should step aside for others.
They wondered why Adesina who was insensitive to the brutal attack on his council leader should turn around to accuse them of fomenting trouble in the council and destroying things when there is no such evidence.
So they appealed the populace to please call the chairman to order. They said that whatever happens within the party should stay in the party and should not be brought into government.
The Council Leader spoke with Oriwu Sun from his recuperating bed saying that: My mission to Acme was in respect of the settlement of the misunderstanding we have in Ikorodu Local Government. The Party leaders called us to settle the rift which we went for peacefully. I didn’t even go in my car, my intentions was pure as I did not even go there to make trouble.
On getting there, I sighted some thugs carrying cutlass, canes, guns and my people were running up and down. I was marveled by the gory sight. As I was approaching Acme main entrance, I just saw a lady pointing at me and saying “That is the Ikorodu Council Leader, kill him.” Before I knew it, I was given a hard slap. My attackers also beat me with cutlass and clubs. I was able to recognize the face of a guy that often comes to the Chairman’s office amongst the thugs, his name is Owodele.
While I was beaten to a pulp and all entire parts of my body was weakened as if they were broken, I began to cry for help but I could still hear the chairman’s thugs clamouring and shouting “E Pa! (kill him)”. It was at that point that I pretended to have passed out and they thought I had died and left me. I was stranded because they took all the money I had with me and my phones. Before going for the ACME meeting, I had withdrawn N50,000 to give to my fellow councilor who just gave birth and to also give tips to anyone I deemed fit at the party secretariat. They also took my wristwatch.
Now that I have been brutalized and hospitalized, my suggestion is that the chairman should be aware of what he has done to me, the leader of the Council. The power he has in the Council is the same that I also have. As he was voted for as a chairman by the people, that was how I was also voted for as the leader of the Council.
I was at the hospital June 20, 2018 and I still have the receipts of the drugs and results of the X-ray test I did as evidence against him. I will not take laws into my hands, I will contact my Lawyer to file a suit against the chairman and my assailants because I don’t know what I have actually done to deserve such wicked treatment. As I am talking to you, I am not okay due to the injuries inflicted on me by my attackers. The three councillors later decided to take their leader to Ikorodu General Hospital where he was accepted and was treated far into the night by doctors and nurses. The three provided the requirements of the hospital while the Council Manager and Council Treasurer also came to see the wounded leader in the hospital before he was allowed to go by 7p.m.
The three councilors alleged that Adesina’s thugs had used guns, machetes, canes, clubs, and batons in the attack and wondered how their chairman could descend to such violence.
According to them this was the fall out of the recent ward congress where Adesina’s camp wanted to doctor the list already approved by the state. They alleged that since the local government elections last year, Hon. Adesina thug had been oppressing all those who supported his opponent Junaid in that election, harassing them with thugs and refusing to honour. Their documents alleged that he attacked a supervising councilor and a contractor in the council beating them up and had defied Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s order that first timers should be allowed to continue while his 3rd and fourth timers should step aside for others.
They wondered why Adesina who was insensitive to the brutal attack on his council leader should turn around to accuse them of fomenting trouble in the council and destroying things when there is no such evidence.
So they appealed the populace to please call the chairman to order. They said that whatever happens within the party should stay in the party and should not be brought into government.
The Council Leader spoke with Oriwu Sun from his recuperating bed saying that: My mission to Acme was in respect of the settlement of the misunderstanding we have in Ikorodu Local Government. The Party leaders called us to settle the rift which we went for peacefully. I didn’t even go in my car, my intentions was pure as I did not even go there to make trouble.
On getting there, I sighted some thugs carrying cutlass, canes, guns and my people were running up and down. I was marveled by the gory sight. As I was approaching Acme main entrance, I just saw a lady pointing at me and saying “That is the Ikorodu Council Leader, kill him.” Before I knew it, I was given a hard slap. My attackers also beat me with cutlass and clubs. I was able to recognize the face of a guy that often comes to the Chairman’s office amongst the thugs, his name is Owodele.
While I was beaten to a pulp and all entire parts of my body was weakened as if they were broken, I began to cry for help but I could still hear the chairman’s thugs clamouring and shouting “E Pa! (kill him)”. It was at that point that I pretended to have passed out and they thought I had died and left me. I was stranded because they took all the money I had with me and my phones. Before going for the ACME meeting, I had withdrawn N50,000 to give to my fellow councilor who just gave birth and to also give tips to anyone I deemed fit at the party secretariat. They also took my wristwatch.
Now that I have been brutalized and hospitalized, my suggestion is that the chairman should be aware of what he has done to me, the leader of the Council. The power he has in the Council is the same that I also have. As he was voted for as a chairman by the people, that was how I was also voted for as the leader of the Council.
I was at the hospital June 20, 2018 and I still have the receipts of the drugs and results of the X-ray test I did as evidence against him. I will not take laws into my hands, I will contact my Lawyer to file a suit against the chairman and my assailants because I don’t know what I have actually done to deserve such wicked treatment. As I am talking to you, I am not okay due to the injuries inflicted on me by my attackers