House of Representatives member, Bamidele Salam, has expressed strong outrage over the rising cases of political violence in Osun State, saying he is prepared to take extreme measures to ensure justice is served for a teenager allegedly killed during a recent attack.
Salam said he would even be willing to walk naked through the streets of Osogbo and Abuja if that would help draw attention to the killing of 14-year-old Ezekiel Olapade.
The lawmaker’s reaction followed the death of the teenager, who was reportedly hit by a stray bullet during a shooting incident near the Irepodun Local Government Secretariat in Ilobu on Sunday.
The incident reportedly occurred when suspected political thugs opened fire around the area, throwing residents into panic. The attack left the teenager dead and another person injured, according to reports.
The tragic event has since sparked outrage and renewed concerns over the increasing level of political violence in parts of Osun State.
Witnesses said the assailants, allegedly led by a known thug identified as Saheed, popularly called “Tanfeani,” had assembled around the secretariat before moving toward a nearby palm wine spot where several people were relaxing.
Eyewitnesses further claimed that the attackers appeared to target a man wearing a cap linked to a political party and then opened fire randomly, causing patrons to run for safety.
Amid the chaos, Ezekiel, said to be the son of the owner of the drinking joint, was hit by a bullet and died on the spot. Another victim sustained gunshot injuries and was rushed to a hospital for treatment.
“We all ran in different directions. The boy who died was probably not the target. As soon as the armed men approached and started shooting, everybody scattered. Unfortunately, Ezekiel was hit by a bullet,” the witness said.
Police launch manhunt for suspects
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Osun State Police Command, SP Abiodun Ojelabi, said the attack occurred near the entrance of the Irepodun Local Government Secretariat.
According to him, the suspects allegedly led by Tanfeani opened fire, resulting in the teenager’s death and injuries to another victim.
“The prime suspect and his accomplices are still at large, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend them,” Ojelabi stated.
The police added that investigations had commenced to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Salam petitions Tinubu, demands justice
Reacting to the killing, Salam, who represents Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, appealed directly to President Bola Tinubu to order the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.
In an open letter shared on social media, the lawmaker, who is a member of Accord Party described the killing as a brutal act carried out before the victim’s helpless parents.
He argued that the incident was one of several violent attacks in Osun State that had allegedly gone unpunished.
“Political violence is unacceptable regardless of party affiliation,” Salam stated, insisting that anyone who sponsors or participates in such attacks should face the full weight of the law.
The lawmaker further claimed that the assailants arrived in a branded bus allegedly linked to the Osun APC governorship candidate, a claim that has generated political controversy in the state.
Omipidan accuses Salam of politicising tragedy
Salam’s comments drew a swift response from Ismail Omipidan, former Chief Press Secretary to ex-Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola.
Omipidan accused the federal lawmaker of attempting to politicise the teenager’s death and unnecessarily dragging President Tinubu into the matter.
While condemning political violence, Omipidan questioned aspects of the account surrounding the killing and urged caution until security agencies concluded their investigations.
He argued that there were inconsistencies in some of the narratives being circulated and warned against assigning blame prematurely.
“I will never support political violence or killing under any guise. But, having listened to the account given by the father of the late teenager, I find aspects of his narrative difficult to reconcile. His account is not only inconsistent and inchoate but stands logic on its head. The man claimed he saw those who carried out the shooting, and that it happened in his presence. Yet, he said they were looking for the boy before they found him in the bush. How did a boy who supposedly came to rescue the mother suddenly found his way to the bush? The sequence of events, as narrated, appears unclear.
“Secondly, the interviewer appeared to be putting words into the father’s mouth rather than allowing him to tell his story without prompting. This inevitably raises concerns about the objectivity of the interview. Thirdly, who exactly were the individuals attempting to break into the secretariat, as claimed by the father? And finally, who were the people he repeatedly hailed as “honourable”? Were they members of the Accord Party or the APC? These are some of the gaps in the narrative presented by the man.
For these reasons, I believe it is premature for anyone to draw definitive conclusions. We should all await the outcome of a thorough and impartial investigation before assigning blame. I say so because I am aware that the lawmaker representing the area in the State Assembly has been trying to forment trouble the moment he sensed the electorate may reject him because of his lackluster performance. So, we must look in his direction as well,” he said.
Omipidan also challenged Salam’s record on previous politically-related killings in the state, insisting that outrage over violence should be consistent irrespective of political affiliation.
“I can walk naked on the streets”: Salam fires back
Responding to Omipidan’s criticism, Salam doubled down on his demand for justice and issued a dramatic declaration.
In a strongly worded rejoinder posted on Facebook, the lawmaker said no amount of criticism would stop him from speaking out against what he described as politically motivated violence in Osun.
“I swear by God who created heaven and earth that I can walk naked on the streets of Osogbo and Abuja to call attention and get solutions to the evil happening in Osun State in the guise of politics and power capture,” Salam wrote.
He added that writing and speaking against the killings was the least he could do, while taking a swipe at those he accused of prioritising personal interests over public causes.
Prime suspect denies involvement
Meanwhile, Tanfeani has denied any role in the attack that claimed the teenager’s life.
In a video circulating online, he maintained that he was not in Osogbo when the shooting occurred and rejected allegations linking him to the incident.
“I have never killed anyone in my life. I am not a murderer,” he said.
The suspect instead alleged that operatives of the Amotekun Corps were responsible for the violence, claiming they attacked individuals around the council secretariat.
Tanfeani also appealed to Governor Ademola Adeleke not to implicate him in the case and accused members of the Accord Party of falsely linking him to the incident.
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Adeleke laments, accuses police of complicity
Governor, Ademola Adeleke lamented the killing of the teenager at Ilobu, calling the incident “another bitter example of complicity of the state police command in the orchestrated political violence in parts of the state”
The governor also reprimanded the police for allegedly protecting council officials of the All Progressives Congress and called for respect for the rule of law, the electoral act and the Nigerian constitution to sustain democratic governance.
In a condolence message signed by the spokesperson to the Governor, Olawale Rasheed on Monday, Adeleke said the killing was “openly perpetrated by a known political thug of the Osun APC and carried out in an AMBO branded Siena bus.”
Governor Adeleke condoled the family of the victim, calling for immediate arrest and prosecution of the identified thugs.
Expressing shock over alleged increasing complicity of the police in Osun political violence, Governor Adeleke questions the refusal of the police to stop the killing of the teenager and tasked the state police command to arrest Saheed Tanfeani who led the operations.
“This killing is the worst example of police complicity. This re-confirms a pattern of police indulgence of Osun APC political thugs who move around towns with guns and regular gunshots in the air. It is alarming that a police command watches as political thugs invade, attack and harass residents and supporters of the Accord.
“The State Police Command is daily demonstrating reprehensible open bias and unacceptable partisan support for the Osun APC. There are even reports that some police officials accompany AMBO thugs in their daily operations. We have made sufficient representations to the Inspector General of Police and the Presidency.
“Our administration has filed several petitions to relevant security establishments on the impunity and the threats to peace and security of Osun state. We are again alerting the Presidency and the IGP that the police in Osun state have surrendered to political thugs and even providing support services to them.
“Presently, the Osun police command is providing protection to court sacked APC council chairmen who have just been re-sacked by the Federal High Court in a case they filed. Mobile policemen are deployed to council secretariats to protect court sacked, tenureless APC operatives, preventing duly elected PDP council chairmen and councillors from accessing the secretariats.
“This is clearly an abuse of police power in service of illegality. The deployment of mobile policemen to protect those occupying council secretariats illegally is the lowest ebb in the current trampling on our democratic life. A dangerous precedent has been set that will be resisted by our people.
“We alert Mr President that our people have been pushed to the wall. Failure of the police to enforce the law can force citizens to resort to self-help. We must respect the rule of law, the electoral act, and the constitution”, the governor was quoted as saying.
The development comes ahead of the Osun state governorship election, which is scheduled to hold on August 8, 2026.
