Daniel Agbolade, Ibadan
A member of House of Representatives, Mr Saheed Akinade-Fijabi, has raised an alarm ober an alleged attempt on his life by those he described as political opponents, saying he narrowly escaped assassination by the whiskers.
Fijabi, representing Ibadan North West/SouthWest in the lower chamber of National Assembly, while speaking with journalists in Ibadan on his ordeal, said he owed his being alive to the quick intervention of men of Special Joint Task Force Team of Oyo State Government, codenamed ‘Operation Burst’, who rescued him from hoodlums and suspected assassins before they could carry out their plans.
The House Committee Chairman on ICT who said he was attacked at Sabo, Mokola area of the capital city last Sunday, noted that he suspected the hoodlums might have been trailing him on his way home from a political meeting at a popular hotel around Bodija area of Ibadan at about 12:30am.
According to him, he saw some known faces among the hoodlums who attacked him in two branded vehicles belonging to one of his opponents in the forthcoming election, appealing to police and other security agencies in the state to provide him more security details to help secure his life.
He recounted that he had petitioned the police on the same suspect more than twice on the regular threat to his (Fijabi's) life but without any effect.
He said, “In the early hours of January 6, 2019, I was coming from a meeting around 12:30 when some hoodlums suddenly blocked me with two branded vehicles at Sabo area of Ibadan.
“About 10 men with guns and cutlasses alighted and ordered me into a gutter. When I was there, I tried and called my father. They were threatening to kill me. I saw and recognized all of them. I saw my opponent in the forthcoming election who is contesting the same seat and others among the hoodlums.
“Fortunately for me, when my dad came, they were struggling with him. After then, Operation Burst men who were just on their own routine patrol came and rescued me.
“When the hoodlums saw the security men approaching, they ran away but one of them (the driver) was arrested. When their vehicles were searched, the police saw loaded guns and cutlasses in the branded vehicle. The vehicle is with the policemen now. You can go there to verify.”
As at the time of filing this report, Ajanaku, a former member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who defected to the ZLP after the party's primaries, was still been quizzed at the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in company of the arrested driver.
But efforts to get his reaction were unsuccessful while his aides refused to speak on the matter.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Adekunle Ajisebutu, when contacted confirmed that the case is under investigation at the state CID.