Panic gripped parts of Ilesa in Osun State on Thursday night following the reported abduction of two persons identified as members of the Accord Party by suspected thugs.
The development has heightened political tension in the ancient town ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, CSP Abiodun Ojelabi, said the command was aware of the incidents in Ilesa.
According to him, both men earlier reported abducted are currently in police custody and assisting with investigations.
He explained that while the initial reports pointed to abduction, further findings suggested additional criminal elements were involved, adding that those allegedly responsible for the act had yet to be apprehended.
Earlier, graphic footage of one of the incidents circulated widely on Friday. In the clip, a man was seen pleading with armed men, who fired shots into the air before forcing him into a vehicle marked “AMBO”, the campaign acronym of the APC governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.
A separate video showed an elderly Ilesa resident at the palace of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adesuyi Haastrup, lamenting the seizure of her son.
She alleged that the attackers stormed their home during dinner on Thursday, ignored pleas, and took the man away.
“They came to our house yesterday evening while we were eating. We begged them, but they refused to listen. I am a poor widow. I want my son back alive,” she said, while naming persons she claimed were involved.
However, members of the Accord Party later staged a peaceful demonstration in Ilesa to demand the release of the two men. The protesters, led by the party’s House of Representatives candidate for Ijesa South Federal Constituency, Ibraheem Popoola, marched from Otapete to the Owa’s Palace.
The demonstrators carried placards with messages such as “APC Thugs Are Abducting Us”, “Save Us From APC Hoodlums”, and “We Are Living in Fear”. They chanted and called on security agencies to intervene before the situation escalates.
Popoola told reporters that the victims were Accord Party supporters and accused suspected APC-aligned hoodlums of being responsible for the abductions. He urged the police and other security agencies to prevent a recurrence in the community.
Reacting to the development, the Osun APC Governorship Campaign Council denied involvement and accused the Accord Party, which it claimed is aligned with Governor Ademola Adeleke, of orchestrating a smear campaign.
In a statement signed by the Head of Media and Publicity, Remi Omowaiye, the council said the viral video showing a man being taken away in an “AMBO”-branded vehicle was a scripted act.
It described the incident as “a planned attempt to tarnish the image of the party and its candidate.”
The campaign council argued that the video was predictable given the political climate and insisted that the use of APC insignia on the vehicle was intended to deceive the public and incite outrage.
As of the time of filing this report, the Accord Party could not be reached, as all calls placed to the party’s spokesperson, Hezekiah Oyebamiji, were unsuccessful.
