From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Osun State Police Command has declared two suspected thugs, Rasheed Hammed aka Oko-Ilu (35) and Solomon Adedomeji aka Solo Iwara (33) wanted for alleged murder, arson, ritual killing, among others.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Yemisi Opalola, on Thursday, alleged that Hammed has been disturbing the peace of Ede while Adedimeji, his accomplice, has been causing unrest in Iwara and Osun in general.
Meanwhile, Oko-Ilu had released a 14minutes 49 seconds audio he recorded and sent on WhatsApp, where he accused the Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal, of sponsoring an officer of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) popularly called Eluku, and some members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) to kill him and his family.
In the audio, he said, “My name is Rasidi. I am from Apete compound, Isale-Osun, Ede. I have sent a voice note today March 9, 2022. To explain further on it. Some years back, there is a man called Doki Oodua OPC Gani Adams and Oriade. They came to me. Everybody knows that I am a street boy. I don’t steal and I don’t beg for money. I have my work and spend money.
“When they asked me to join them. I have some mothers and brothers in OPC that told me that Gani is a thief. Oriade is a welder and I am also a welder. Oriade went to steal rods about five years ago and they killed the son of a Muslim cleric in Ede. I refused to join them.
“We usually meet at political campaign, carnival and some other places. I later stopped staying with them when I noticed that they are too greedy about money.
“On February 2, 2020, they came to fight us but God gave us victory over them. That is why they went to join Eluku SARS. The OPC took Eluku to the palace and Oba Laminisa usually give them money because whenever they come to fight us at Isale-Osun, they return to the palace. There is no indigene of Ede that can not testify to this.
“The monarch later sent some chiefs like Baba Kekere of Ede, Chief Ifamurewa Oyenkoko, Olukosi, Atapara, Mogaji of Ede, Chief Aare-Ago, came to appeal to us at Isale-Osun not to fight.
“But, in December 4, 2021, the same OPC came to attack me and they killed two of my younger brothers. One of them ran inside the police station and they pursued him and killed him. We are just going on our private car. We are not armed robbers. All the elders could not do anything.
“Despite that I didn’t do anything. They later came to attack me at Owode-Ede road and killed my elder brother, shot my younger brother in the stomach, they also shot at me and took away my car.
“On that night they attack me and killed my elder brother, our King, Oba Munirudeen gave them N250,000 and said if they had killed Oko-Ilu, he would have given them more than that.
“We are war fighters in my compound, but Doki, Oriade, Yemi Aleeba and other OPC members are robbers and they send to bring human parts.
“Also, this year, the same set of people went to kill my mother this year. I am now calling on sons and daughters of Ede to intervene.
“There have been problems in the town since Oba Munirudeen became monarch. I call on traditional rulers to help me ask Oba Munirudeen if I contest post or land with him. The monarch went to the politicians to go and bring my head after he sent Doki and his group. The politicians told him that the government in power don’t just kill but arrest and investigate.
“Today March 9, 2022, they came to Isale-Osun with five cars and carried away people’s properties.
“I am coming to Ede town. I will kill and maim. You know when I enter Ede before, you usually greet me, if I come this time, I see you you die, you see me you die. I will kill whoever I see. The elders should talk to Oba Munirudeen. There is our father’s land he came and I asked them to give him 20 acres of land.”
The monarch in an interview denied knowing Rasidi, saying all his allegations against him are lies.
“I want to say for the umpteenth time that I don’t have any group or killer squad commissioned to kill anyone. Why would I want to kill any of my subject?
“As a king, what benefit would I derive from paying someone or group of people to be killing my subjects when I can actually spend such money to provide scholarship for them and build a virile society?
“It is an unfounded rumour. I have being working for the progress of Ede and I will continue to work for the development of the town so as to return the lost glory of my domain as land of peace and harmony it was known for.
“If I have commissioned my chiefs to mediate in their crisis and supported peace moves by the Ede Decendant Union, then it’s absurd for anybody to think that I would be the one to be behind the crisis,” the monarch added.