Conflicting reports have emerged over an alleged attack on the convoy of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke on Wednesday shortly after his visit to the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, with some accounts claiming suspected thugs exchanged gunfire with the governor’s security personnel.
The incident was said to have occurred after Adeleke received his Certificate of Return at the Osun State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Osogbo and visited the monarch to present the certificate.
But David Adeleke, aka Davido has disputed the account, saying a fight occured outside the palace but had nothing to do with the governor or his entourage.
An earlier eyewitness account said Adeleke arrived at the Ataoja’s palace at about 3:15 p.m. in a convoy of about 20 vehicles and was received by Oba Oyetunji.
The eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said trouble started as the meeting was winding down after the monarch had offered prayers.
According to the eyewitness, Adeleke had already left the palace hall through an exit reserved for the monarch and his wives when the shooting began.
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“He was already in the bus that brought him and his close aides to the palace when we started hearing heavy gunshots. Those who attacked came in an unregistered Sienna space bus through the Ita Olokan area of Osogbo.
“The shooting lasted for about 12 to 15 minutes before the governor’s convoy eventually left the palace. The governor’s security men and those hoodlums exchanged gunfire. The hoodlums later fled the scene,” she said.
A trader near the palace, identified simply as Munirat, said the attackers may have learnt of Adeleke’s visit and waited for his arrival.
“We suspect that those hoodlums heard about Adeleke’s visit and had been waiting for him. They came in a Sienna space bus.
“They also damaged the main gate to the palace. They shot at the palace main gate, but the security men pushed them back. We all ran away and left our wares,” she said.
However, Davido, who is the governor’s nephew, debunked the report in a post on his verified X handle on Wednesday evening, saying the altercation witnessed outside the palace was unrelated to the governor and his entourage.
“Lies! It was a fight outside the palace that had nothing to do with us. The people love his excellency,” he wrote. Davido’s statement contradicts earlier accounts from witnesses who had described the incident as an attack on the governor’s convoy.
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