By Taofeek Lawal
Security personnel attached to Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke engaged in a fierce gun battle with suspected hoodlums outside the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, on Wednesday.
The violence erupted shortly after Adeleke received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and paid a celebratory visit to the traditional ruler.
According to palace sources, the attackers had laid siege to the area in an unregistered Toyota Sienna prior to the governor’s arrival. An argument reportedly broke out among the group before gunfire erupted, though the underlying cause and intended target remain unclear.
A nearby shop owner, Laide Misture, described the chaos: “The guys were shooting from inside the main gate while the governor’s security team responded from inside the palace. The intense exchange lasted almost three minutes before the hoodlums fled in their vehicle, just before the governor’s convoy exited.”
Confirming the clash, the Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, stated that the governor’s security detail moved swiftly to neutralize the threat.
“It is true there were gunshots as we were exiting the palace, and the governor’s security team had to engage them,” Alimi said. “However, the exact circumstances and the groups involved in the altercation outside remain unknown.”
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