There was tension around Aregbe area, Osogbo capital of Osun State on Thursday when gunmen attacked loyalists of Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola during their meeting at Oranmiyan House.
FTNEWS gathered that the incident around 2:10pm while the loyalists of the former Governor under a group within Osun All Progressives Congress (APC) named The Osun Progressives (TOP) were holding their weekly meeting at Oranmiyan House along Gbongan-Osogbo road.
An 80-second video clip sighted by The Nation showed four gunmen alighting from a black Sienna bus and shooting sporadically in front of the venue of the meeting.
One of them armed with an axe approached the premises where the meeting was holding while others mounted the road maiden, shooting indiscriminately to the air.
The incident caused drivers to abandon their vehicles on the road as passersby run to safety.
The loyalists of Aregbesola who were at the venue ran for cover.
The gunmen later entered their vehicle and escaped through Ogo-Oluwa road.
Chairman of the group within APC, Osun State, Elder Adelowo Adebiyi, accused Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of masterminding the attack.
Adebiyi told reporters: “This attack has confirmed the alarm I raised on Monday that the Governor’s men were out to assassinate its leaders. This led to a stampede as APC members scampered for safety. Luckily for us, there were no major casualties as members ran into the main building for safety. But some of our people were wounded.
“We need to remind security agencies in the State that they are responsible for the safety of the lives and property of our people.
“They should not wait until one of us is killed before they act on our petitions and reports. We will officially inform the Commissioner of Police, the AIG Zone XI and the State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps of today’s attack.
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector General of Police to come and see what is happening in Osun. Governor Oyetola’s led IleriOluwa group is after our lives. We call on President Muhammadu Buhari and Inspector General of Police to urgently intervene in the issue now.”
But Oyetola, through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Ismail Omipidan, said dismissed Adebiyi as a discredited fellow who should not be taken seriously.
According to him: “In law, if a witness bears false witness once, no testimony from such a fellow would ever be accepted. But in the case of Adebiyi, he has lied several times and this latest allegation is one of such lies.
‘My Principal is not a violent man and will never support any violence in whatever form. I strongly urge our former governor and current Interior minister, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, to disown Adebiyi before he rubbishes his good office.
“If by his admission, he is saying personnel of NSCDC had always provided security cover for them, on whose authority were they doing it then and who ordered their withdrawal today?
“Finally, I have intelligence report that Abdulrasaq Salinsile, the former APC Secretary in the State, met with one of those that were alleged to have carried out today’s attack. I want to believe they are acting out a script already prepared by them.”