TEXT OF A WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY SENATOR KAMARUDEEN OLALERE OYEWUMI, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, IMOLE CAMPAIGN COUNCIL, ON THE ALARMING RISE IN POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND THE KILLING OF 14-YEAR-OLD EZEKIEL OLAPADE IN ILOBU, OSUN STATE.
MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026
Gentlemen of the Press,
We have invited you here today with heavy hearts and deep concern over the dangerous descent into political assassinations that is gradually threatening the very fabric of peace, security, and democratic stability of Osun State.
Yesterday, June 21, 2026, Osun State witnessed yet another tragic and avoidable loss of human life when a 14-year-old boy, Ezekiel Olapade, was reportedly shot dead during a violent attack carried out by armed political thugs in Ilobu, Irepodun Local Government Area.
The circumstances surrounding the death of this innocent child are both heartbreaking and infuriating. According to accounts from his family and eyewitnesses, Ezekiel was not a political actor, nor was he engaged in any confrontation. He was simply trying to rescue his mother who had fallen while fleeing from the scene of a sporadic shooting unleashed by a criminal gang led by one Saheed Kareem, popularly known as “Tanfeani.” In that courageous attempt to save his mother, the young boy paid the ultimate price with his life, Tanfeani and his gang shot him on the head and the innocent youngster died right there on the spot.
More disturbing is the fact that the Osun State Police Command has publicly identified the alleged leader of the gang responsible for the attack. The whole world has heard the police acknowledge the identity of the principal suspect. The entire world is therefore waiting to see whether this acknowledgment will be followed by decisive action or whether it will become another addition to the growing list of unresolved political killings in Osun State.
The Imole Campaign Council unequivocally condemns this barbaric act. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Olapade family and all peace-loving people of Osun State who continue to endure the consequences of politically motivated assassinatios as we have in this context. No parent should have to bury a child because some dead end political actors have chosen violence over democratic engagement.
Available reports from eyewitnesses and residents indicate that the assailants first invaded the Irepodun Local Government Secretariat and reportedly attacked facilities within the premises, including the office of the Amotekun Corps. These actions suggest a coordinated attempt to create fear, weaken lawful security structures, and unleash terror on innocent citizens. Such conduct has no place in any civilized society and must be treated as a grave threat to public order and democracy.
For several months, we have repeatedly warned and raised several alarms that the persistent failure of law enforcement authorities to decisively confront political violence would embolden criminal elements. Unfortunately, our fears have been justified. What happened in Ilobu is not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing pattern that has seen innocent citizens repeatedly become victims of politically inspired attacks.
We have buried our dead in Ikire. We have mourned victims of violence in Ilesa. We have endured attacks on our members in Owode-Ede. Our party chairman in Osogbo Local Government only escaped the early grave by the whiskers. We have witnessed the shooting of party leaders and supporters in different parts of the state. At every stage, we exercised restraint, demonstrated faith in constitutional institutions, and appealed to security agencies to act professionally. Yet the violence continues, and the body count keeps rising.
Today, we must state clearly that enough is enough!
The people of Osun State cannot continue to live under the shadow of politically motivated killings while those responsible move about freely. Democracy cannot thrive where violence is rewarded with impunity and where innocent citizens become targets simply because of their perceived political affiliations.
We therefore call on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Olatunji Disu, to immediately order the arrest and prosecution of Saheed “Tanfeani” and every individual connected with this heinous crime. We also demand a comprehensive investigation into all reported incidents of political violence across Osun State with a view to bringing every perpetrator, sponsor, and collaborator to justice, irrespective of status or political affiliation.
We are further compelled to express our unmitigated lack of confidence in the leadership of the Osun State Police Command under Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Gottan. The recurring pattern of political violence, the apparent absence of deterrence, and the widespread perception of selective law enforcement have severely eroded public trust in the command’s ability to discharge its constitutional responsibilities impartially.
It is our considered position that the continued stay of Mr. Ibrahim Gottan as Commissioner of Police in Osun State has become a danger and detrimental to public confidence and security. We therefore call on the Inspector-General of Police to immediately redeploy him from Osun State and institute a thorough investigation into what appears to be persistent failures of operational response and law enforcement oversight under his watch.
Where evidence of negligence, dereliction of duty, or professional misconduct is established, appropriate disciplinary and legal actions should follow. Public office carries responsibility, and where repeated failures contribute to an environment in which innocent citizens lose their lives, accountability becomes imperative.
We again call on the National Human Rights Commission, civil society organisations, election observers, diplomatic missions, and the international community to closely monitor developments in Osun State. The warning signs are becoming too obvious to ignore. The preservation of peace and democratic order requires vigilance before violence escalates beyond control.
Let it be clearly stated that the Accord family and supporters of Governor Ademola Adeleke remain committed to peace, democracy, and the rule of law. However, peace cannot survive where justice is absent. The surest path to preventing further violence is the swift arrest, prosecution, and punishment of those responsible for these crimes.
The memory of young Ezekiel Olapade must not be reduced to another statistic. His life mattered. His future mattered. His death must mark the point at which the authorities finally rise to their constitutional duty and put an end to the reign of political violence in Osun State.
May his soul rest in peace.
Thank you and God bless Osun State.
Senator Kamarudeen Olalere Oyewumi
Director-General
The Imole Campaign Council (TICC)