They Want To Kill Me, Ex-L.G Boss Writes Jonathan

The former chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Council, Ogun State, Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye has sent a petition to President Goodluck Jonathan on alleged invasion of Ijebu-Itele country home by Governor Gbenga Daniel’s wife, Olufunke and others last Saturday.

In the petition titled “Before My Obituary,” Oladunjoye narrated how Mrs. Daniel stormed his country home in a convoy of 15 vehicles with about 100 policemen, civilians and thugs, over an advertorial published in a Lagos-based newspaper (not P.M.NEWS), sponsored by the Omo Ilu group.

The former council boss, who shares the position of the group in the advertisement which showed the photographs of Daniel’s children at a lavish party abroad with one of them, Rotimi brandishing a machine gun, alleged that Mrs. Daniel was after his life. Oladunjoye, who was removed from office last year by the Ogun State government in the wake of the Ijebu-Ife crisis, during which an Assistant Commissioner of police and hundreds of people died, alleged that before last Saturday’s invasion of his house, attempts had been made on his life about eight times, since last year.

Seeking the intervention of Mr. President, the embattled politician urged Dr. Jonathan to allow the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos, to probe the alleged invasion, saying that there were incontrovertible facts that the Ogun State Police Command is biased in favour of Governor Daniel.

He further stated in his petition that the invaders took his Rado wristwatch, a new Nokia E 75 phone, $500 and N120,000 cash he withdrew from the bank the previous day, stating that his Special Assistant (SA) on political matters, Mr. Rasheed Adenaya was physically assaulted and he sustained mouth, leg and head injuries.

Says Oladunjoye in the petition: “My faith in God remains unshaken, my belief in the rule of law remains steadfast, but my worry is that, Why would a ‘first lady’ take laws into her own hands?  Why the attempt in jungle justice? If I was at home, won’t I have been dealt with for beating up the wife of a governor?

“I know you as a man that despises impunity, lawlessness and disobedience to the courts. Please intervene on behalf of myself, my family and my elected but sacked councillors and their families,” he wrote.

The Ogun State government has not made any official statement on the action of the governor’s wife, instead, a group in Ijebu has been protesting against the advertorial on the governor’s children.

—Jide Osokoya