Drama Looms As Ex-Council Chief Accuses Successor, Lawmaker Of Sponsoring Attack On Him

Fatai Ajidagba (aka AJIFAT), the former Chairman of Ifelodun Local Council Development Area, has petitioned the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Zone 2 over an attempt on his life, The Nation reports.

Ajidagba was attacked by some hoodlums at the secretariat of Ifelodun Local Council Development Area on Friday.

He sustained injuries on his arm, fingers and cheeks.

He accused Chairman of the council, Olufemi Oke-Owo and a lawmaker, Kolawole Taiwo, as masterminds of the attack.

The duo, however, debunked the allegation.

The former council chief said he was approaching his vehicle inside the secretariat after a meeting with leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) otherwise called G-10 Leaders when the hoodlums pounced on him.

According to him, the hoodlums were armed with various weapons like cutlasses, cudgels, broken bottles, charms and guns.

According to him, Taiwo had earlier physically assaulted him during the meeting before mobilising the hoodlums to attack him.

“When no one came to my rescue while the attack was on within the council premises, I knew the attack was a directive from the leadership of the council. I was nearly killed before escaping from the hoodlums. One of them wanted to shoot me before an official of the Neighbourhood Watch stopped me,” he said.

He said he ran back to the meeting hall to report to the leadership of the party.

“I was taken to the General Hospital. They referred me to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi. They couldn’t attend to me due to ongoing industrial action by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA). From there, I was taken to the Military Hospital, Yaba where I was eventually treated,” he said.

Ajidagba’s lawyer, Adefolaju Oloko Esq of the Adefolaju Oloko Chambers, Barristers and Solicitors, in a petition to the AIG, said: “By some strokes of divine intervention and luck, our client was able to escape from these marauding onslaught and ran back upstairs to the Conference room where the meeting earlier took place and met the (party) leaders, where he complained of this obviously orchestrated attacks on his person. He  accused Oke-Owo and Taiwo as masterminds of the attacks.

“It is a wonder what such presence of armed thugs and criminals was for, when leaders of the community were meeting in the council secretariat, and not a single police officer or any other security agent was present. Oke-Owo, as the Chief Security Officer of the council is directly in breach of all known and established protocols in this regard.

“Whilst our client was battling for his life in the hospital, supporters of Taiwo and Oke-Owo took to social media, issuing threats to our client.

“Our brief revealed that our client was subjected to gruelling direct attacks by these sponsored thugs, assaulting him with various dangerous weapons.”

Taiwo described the allegation as laughable.

He said: “I never assaulted him (Ajidagba) during the meeting. We only argued and we ate with Oke-Owo afterwards. He even took our pictures before leaving the meeting room. Of course, we are shocked that such an incident took place but he dramatised what happened. The same hand he used to make video after the attack was bandaged the following day. We only saw water and sand on him and he even drove himself out of the place. I don’t know why he descended so low to dramatise the whole scenario. Nobody should accuse me of what I didn’t do. I don’t think he should be taken seriously.”

Oke-Owo described the attack as regrettable, saying that was the first time such an incident had occurred.

According to him, the matter was immediately reported to the police.

“I even seven up a Seven-man Panel headed by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to arrest the perpetrators. He has been called afterwards to a meeting with party leaders but rebuffed their entreaties. I can’t be involved in such an act. I never attacked anyone before becoming the council chairman. We need to get to the root of the matter because I have no issue with him. It is true there was a disagreement between him (Ajidagba) and Taiwo but it was resolved and we all ate together after the meeting and took pictures,” he said.