From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, has warned the state government not to engage in any form of political interference in the ongoing trial of the suspected political thugs that killed and injured voters during the poll.
The party while commending the police for prompt arrest of the suspects promised to work with all concerned authorities to ensure diligence prosecution in order to get justice for the victims of the vicious attacks.
The PDP State Publicity Secretary, Raphael Adeyanju, in a statement on Tuesday, said it will not be appropriate for an APC government to handle the prosecution of the case, while all the suspects are well known thugs who were in the company of prominent APC leaders and government functionaries in Omuo-Ekiti on the fateful Saturday.
“What happened on Saturday is a signal to what to expect in subsequent elections. The APC is populated by violent individuals that don’t believe in free and fair elections. Our party members are, however, enjoined to remain resolute so that we can wrestle power from them. They can no longer impose themselves on the people that have totally rejected them.”
Also, a group under the acronym ‘Ajoro Ekiti’ in a statement by its Convener, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, called on the spiritual leaders to place a curse on merchants of death, while the security agencies must fish out their sponsors and accomplices.
Atoye said the arraignment in court and remand of the three suspects involved in the killings, as well as the public condemnation of the heinous crime, is not enough if we must demonstrate deterrence against barbarism.
He said: “Available public information indicates that the accused: Adenijo Olusola, 38 (popularly called Solar), Paul Folorunso, 45, and Adebayo Serifat, 40, are all members of a killer squad, and as such, the Police must act with courage and move swiftly to effect the arrest of other members of the gang and dismantle their network.
“Consequently, we call on the security agencies in Ekiti State, especially the Police and the DSS, to urgently probe into how Adenijo Olusola, who had stood trial for a similar case since 2015, was freed in 2018, and to also unmask the sponsor of the squad and other accomplices.
“This is a painful awakening to the people of Ekiti State that we also have within, an axis of evil that must be confronted and defeated, including working to rebuild a society that will make it difficult for evil to thrive.
“This tragic occurrence has cast our dear state in bad light, therefore, the time has come for religious and traditional leaders to prioritize the fight against evil and place a curse on all proponents of killings and merchants of evil.
“As a people we must rise up above politics, we must speak with one voice against politicians who are manipulating our youths as political thugs, we must say no to those endangering our state and undermining our reputations, and as a commitment, we must act to build a consensus against evil.”
