The family of the murdered People’s Democratic Party, PDP chieftain in Idanre Local Government Area Council of Ondo State, Akinlabi Akinnaso Akinfolarin is seeking justice over the gruesome killing of their son by a suspected Nigerian Army soldier at Owena Collation Centre on Sunday.
Akinfolarin popularly called Oluomo, a father of three was allegedly shot at close range by one of the officers of the Nigerian Army deployed to maintain security at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Collation Centre, Owena/Ayetoro in Idanre town.
The politician who accompanied the newly elected winner of the House of Representatives for Ifedore/Idanre Federal Constituency, Festus Akingbaso, to receive a Certificate of Result from INEC met his untimely death when the solider killed him over what couldn’t be ascertained as the reason behind the shooting.
Speaking, the wife of the deceased, Mrs Oluwaseyi Akinfolarin who was still at shock over the killing of the bread winner of the family said her late husband was not a thug nor political miscreant to warrant the gruesome murder by the overzealous soldier.
Her words: ” My husband was a peace loving man that harbor no grudges against anybody. Before his demise, we talked and he said everything is okay but surprisingly, the next call I received was that he has been killed by soldier”.
While crying profusely, she allegedly fingered the lawmaker representing the federal constituency in the killing, saying before the incident happened, she learnt that two brothers of the lawmaker were seen making frantic calls at the Collation Centre, embraced her husband in a Judas Iscariot style before her husband was later shot by the soldier.
“My husband told me prior to his death that, Small Alhaji has threatened to deal with him because he refused to join his political team and gave him support for his reelection bid. The soldier that shot him was acting on somebody instruction and directive which the lawmaker can’t feign ignorant of”.
In the same vein, the immediate elder sister of the deceased, Mrs Mofolabi Omoleye said the death of her brother was more of a target by the soldier probably acting on instruction.
“People at the point of the incident reliably told us that, two brothers of the APC candidate ( Razaq and Moshood) were seen making calls and even greeted the deceased at the Collation Centre before the soldier shot at him. He was not holding gun or cutlass; what warranted the shooting in the first instance? Did he snatched ballot boxes? Why the shooting?”
Mrs Omoleye called for thorough investigation into the murdered of his brother to unravel the brain behind the killing which she considered to have political undertone, alleging that the APC candidate was not happy with the contributions of the deceased following the declaration of FessyWest as the winner in the Saturday’s Poll.
Her words: We come before all well meaning Nigerians and constituent authority to voice out our displeasure over the gruesome murder and inglorious killing of my brother who was a peace loving young man. When has it becomes a crime to support any candidate of your choice? The security agencies must unravel this mystery and those behind it”.
Meanwhile, Oluwalana Oluwaseun, an eyewitness said the deceased was shot by the Army on no account of dragging or struggling with the military personnel as reported by some online News portal, adding that, the deceased was at far distance away from the Collation Centre when the Army came asking everyone to move, before they know what is happening, they began to beat him and next is shooting from one young soldier”.
” We were together at the Collation Centre from the night of Saturday but the unfortunate happened on Sunday morning. The soldier were pursuing us from the Collation Centre and the deceased was busy pressing his phone far away from the Centre, on getting to him, they asked him to move which he did but surprisedly, they start to beat him and he was shot by one of the soldier”.
Contrary to the report that the deceased was allegedly involved in a scuffle with the armed personnel, some of the eyewitness at the scene that talked to newsmen shared different account of what transpired at the Collation Centre that led to the death of the deceased.
