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JUNE

•Governor Ademola Adeleke (middle) ﬂanked by the IGP delegation led by DIG Adegoke Fayoade, after a meeting at the Government House, Osogbo, recently

Osun Bleeds Again: Political Violence, Unanswered Deaths, And A State On Edge Before August 15

Our Reporter

IN the last few weeks and less than two months to the August 15 gubernatorial elec on, Osun State has returned to a familiar and dangerous script of poli cal thugs on motorcycles, gunshots in broad daylight, destroyed campaign materials, and families burying loved ones, OSUN DEFENDER reports.

The ruling Accord Party

and the opposi on All Progressives Congress are all poin ng accusing ﬁngers at one another, while the police face growing cri cism for what many describe as inac on.

On Friday, Governor Ademola Adeleke, while hos ng the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the ICT Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja, Adegoke Fayoade, at

the Government House in Osogbo, said the state has recorded three unresolved poli cal killings in recent weeks, with no single arrest made by the police.

He named the vic ms as Kolade Eluyera, Ezekiel Olapade and Busuyi Aderogba. OSUN DEFENDER reports that the lifeless body of Kolade, who is the son of the Accord Woman Leader in Irewole Local Govern-

ment, was found near Onireke Mosque, Ikire, a er he was allegedly killed by suspected thugs working for the All Progressives Congress.

Ezekiel, a 14-year-old secondary school student, was killed at her mother’s palm wine shop in Ilobu by some assailants, allegedly led by a notorious thug iden ﬁed as Saheed, popularly known as “Tanfeani.”

The assailants were said to a empt to enter the premises of the Irepodun Local Government secretariat when they spo ed a man wearing a cap in the colour of a par cular poli cal party at the palm wine joint.

The armed men allegedly advanced towards the spot, ﬁring shots indiscriminately and in the process, shot Ezekiel.

Aderogba, who is an

Accord Party member, was killed in front of his father’s house in Esa Oke. Following his death, Governor Adeleke and the spokesperson for The Imole Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, accused the federal lawmaker represen ng Obokun/Oriade, Hon Wole Oke, of sponsoring the act.

Meanwhile, Adeleke, while hos ng the DIG, also renewed his call for the redeployment of the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, accusing him of failing to act impar ally in addressing poli cal violence.

“You visit us at a me when we have recorded three unresolved polical murders in the last few weeks. There has been no single arrest,” Adeleke told Fayoade.

Adeleke accused police

•Continued on page 2

MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2026

Osun 2026: Salaam Campaigns In Ede, Vows To Fulfil Promises

TSodiq Yusuf

HE governorship candidate of the African Democra c Congress in the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship elecon, Dr. Najeem Salaam, con nued his statewide campaign in Ede North and Ede South Local Government Areas over the weekend, assuring residents that his administra on would faithfully implement every campaign promise made to the people.

Salaam, who addressed party supporters, ar sans, traders and youths during the campaign tour, said the ADC was oﬀering Osun people a credible alterna ve anchored on good governance, transparency, security and inclusive development.

He assured the people that, if elected governor, his administra on would restore las ng peace across the state and build on the developmental strides already recorded in cri cal sectors, while introducing policies aimed at improving the welfare of ci zens.

The ADC candidate lamented what he described as growing poli cal tension in the state, stressing that Osun deserved an atmosphere where residents could pursue their livelihoods without fear or inmida on.

According to him, sustainable development can only thrive in an environment of peace, jus ce and mutual respect, adding that his administra on would priori se dialogue, strengthen security architecture and promote unity among all communi es across the state.

Salaam said, “I want to assure every resident of Osun State that ours will be a government that keeps its promises. Every commitment we have made during this campaign is a covenant with the people, and by the grace of God, we shall fulﬁl them.

“Our administra on will restore las ng peace across Osun because no meaningful development can take place in an atmosphere of fear, violence or poli cal in mida on. We will unite our people and ensure that every community enjoys peace and security.

“We are not coming to start governance from scratch. We shall consolidate the developmental gains that have beneﬁted our people while introducing fresh ideas and policies that will improve educa on, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure and job crea on.

“The people of Osun deserve a government that listens, serves and manages public resources responsi-

•Says ADC Will Restore Lasting Peace, Consolidate Development

bly. We will run an inclusive administra on where every local government and every segment of society has a sense of belonging.

“I urge our people to remain steadfast and come out massively on August 15 to vote for the African Democra c Congress. Together, we can build a peaceful, prosperous and more progressive Osun where government truly works for everyone,” the ADC Candidate reemphasised.

The campaign train received enthusias c recepons in the two local government areas, with party faithful reaﬃrming their commitment to mobilising grassroots support for the party ahead of the August 15 governorship poll.

Oyo Abduction: Rescue Efforts Continue As Security Forces, Hunters Intensify Search

RESCUE

eﬀorts to secure the release of scores of pupils, teachers and a toddler abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have intensiﬁed, with security opera ves and local hunters sustaining coordinated opera ons across forests surrounding the Old Oyo Na onal Park.

The Oyo State Police Command had earlier dismissed reports circula ng on social media claiming that the vic ms had been rescued, insis ng that no such breakthrough had been oﬃ-

cially recorded. The command, however, conﬁrmed that security opera ons were ongoing, with two suspected kidnappers killed and four others arrested during recent opera ons linked to the abduc on.

OSUN DEFENDER reports that the renewed search comes days a er the Oyo State Government imposed a 16-hour curfew on 10 local government areas bordering the Old Oyo Na onal Park as part of measures to strengthen security and support ongoing rescue eﬀorts.

Residents in Iseyin and

several communi es around the park have reported increased aerial surveillance in recent days, with helicopters observed ﬂying repeatedly over parts of the aﬀected axis.

Although security authori es have yet to issue an official statement on the opera ons, some of the residents who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER believe the flights are connected with the intensified search for the abducted vic ms.

In addi on to convenonal security personnel, local hunters and vigilante

groups familiar with the difﬁcult terrain have con nued to assist the military, police and other security agencies in combing forests believed to be possible hideouts of the kidnappers. The abduc on has connued to generate anxiety across Oyo State and beyond, with parents, educaon stakeholders and civil society organisa ons urging the authori es to sustain pressure on the kidnappers un l every vic m is rescued safely.

As of the me of ﬁling this report yesterday, there

Osun Bleeds Again: Political Violence...

•Continued from page 1

oﬃcers of “negligence and par sanship” and said the Commissioner of Police had shown “a lack of willingness and capacity to act fairly and without par san bias.”

“Only in Osun state do we have police operaves eager to arrest Accord members on the most minor of grounds but have yet to arrest a single suspect in a series of murders and gun a acks,” the governor added.

Beyond the deaths, there are several members of the APC and Accord party, as well as residents who have sustained injuries in the ongoing onslaught.

Residents of Ile-Ife, Ilesa, Owode-Ede, Ilobu, Ikire, Iwo and Osogbo have witnessed sporadic shoo ngs by poli cal thugs, a situa on that causes panic in the communi es.

Also, several campaign billboards belonging to the Accord and the APC were vandalised across the state.

Responding, Fayoade said the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, had ordered the AIG, Zone XI, and the CP to ensure an end to violence and pledged full inves ga ons and prosecu-

ons.

“I have also directed the AIG and the Commissioner of Police that any act of murder or brigandage or any unlawful act perpetrated in the state must be fully inves gated. Anybody found culpable should be arrested and prosecuted,” Fayoade said.

He added that the police would replicate the “peaceful atmosphere” recorded in recent Anambra and Eki elec ons.

However, a few hours after mee ng with the governor and giving his assurance, some poli cal hoodlums abducted two members of the Accord Party in Osun State around Okesa, Ilesa.

The vic ms were idenﬁed as Mr Kasumu Simiyu, Treasurer of Accord Ward 07, Ilesa East Local Government, and Mr Dagunduro Iyiola.

Unconﬁrmed reports said the abductors later dropped the vic ms at a police sta on in Ilesa.

The spokesperson for the Osun Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, while appearing on a private TV programme on Friday in Osogbo, conﬁrmed that the vic ms were with the police.

Ojelabi, however, failed to disclose if the abductors were arrested, as he evaded the ques on when asked.

Also, on Saturday, June 27, a member of the APC, Taofeek Mustapha, was shot by suspected poli cal thugs in Osogbo.

The State Police Command conﬁrmed the incident which happened in the Oluode-Aranyin area of the state.

The vic m, who survived the shoo ng, pointed out that he was targeted by the thugs because he was wearing a poli cal cap associated with the APC candidate.

“Don’t Set Osun on Fire” - CSO

Commen ng on the violence going on in the state, Coordinator of the Centre for Social Jus ce and Public Protec on (CSJPP), Akin Akanji, warned that the cycle of killings and impunity could aﬀect the August 15 elec on.

Akanji said poli cians must pull their thugs oﬀ the streets and allow the Independent Na onal Electoral Commission and security agencies to work without interference.

“Osun cannot aﬀord another cycle of electoral violence. Poli cians must

not set the state on ﬁre because of ambi on,” he said while speaking with OSUN DEFENDER

Akanji also urged the police to act visibly and promptly, adding, “If three poli cal murders happen and no one is arrested, it sends a message that thuggery pays. That message will bring more deaths before August 15.”

For now, Osun is in a tense calm under watchful eyes. Billboards are being replaced, only to be watched for fresh damage. Families of the dead are wai ng for arrests. The injured are recovering, but afraid to speak openly.

OSUN DEFENDER reports that DIG Fayoade, during his visit, said, “The police commissioner and his men will perform their dues in line with the cons tuon and in line with the rule of law. We are not going to allow anybody to violate the law of the land and cause any havoc or any uneasiness in the state.”

Whether that assurance translates to arrests, fewer injuries, and a peaceful August 15 will determine if Osun remembers this season for its poli cs or for its dead.

was no oﬃcial conﬁrma on that any of the abducted schoolchildren or teachers had regained their freedom, while security agencies maintained that rescue opera ons remained ac ve. people that, if elected governor, his administra on would restore las ng peace across the state and build on the developmental strides already recorded in cri cal sectors, while introducing policies aimed at improving the welfare of ci zens.

“Our administra on will restore las ng peace across Osun because no meaningful development can take place in an atmosphere of fear, violence or poli cal inmida on. We will unite our people and ensure that every community enjoys peace and security.

“The people of Osun deserve a government that listens, serves and manages public resources responsi

• Salaam, acknowledging cheers from party supporters during the rally

WE are living in an age where alterna ve reali es are increasingly being constructed through the denial of life’s o en grim truths. What was once dismissed as a world of make-believe is now described as an “alterna ve reality”. In its most extreme form, it becomes an exercise in magical realism.

In a emp ng to paint a rosy picture of Nigeria’s economic situa on, a key presiden al spokesman recently wandered into the theatre of the absurd. If he is to be believed, Nigerians are enjoying be er living standards, greater prosperity and should be grateful for the “small mercies” brought about by the government’s policies.

The seasoned broadcaster interviewing him skilfully concealed his disbelief, even as the conversa on dri ed into Alice in Wonderland territory. But Alice in Wonderland is a work of children’s ﬁc on. Nigerians, by contrast, are grappling with the harsh reali es of declining living standards, shrinking purchasing power and an everdeepening cost-of-living crisis.

Ordinary Nigerians do not live in the comfort and opulence of the Presiden al Villa. They do not enjoy official security details, subsidised living or the many privileges of public office. Instead, they contend daily with demanding landlords, soaring transport fares, rising food prices and countless unexpected financial shocks. Worse s ll, the state has failed to establish the social safety nets that should cushion cizens from these economic hardships.

While presen ng his opmis c narra ve, the presidenal spokesman was unable to explain how the savings from fuel subsidy removal have been channelled into building the robust social protec on systems repeatedly promised by the government. Such an explanaon would inevitably require iden fying the actual beneﬁciaries of these programmes.

The week also introduced another troubling dimension to the government’s economic narra ve: what has now been

Bayo Onanuga In Wonderland

dubbed “Akara Economics”. This philosophy appears to promote subsistence entrepreneurship as a pathway to prosperity. Yet no serious economy can be built on the expecta on that ci zens will escape poverty simply by frying and selling akara. Once the costs of ingredients, transporta on, energy and the numerous informal levies imposed by non-state actors are taken into account, the mathema cs simply does not add up.

A more sustainable approach would be to revive and strengthen coopera ve societies, as was successfully pracsed in the old Western Region. Coopera ves also underpin the remarkable agricultural success

“ There is also an urgent need for government communication to be rooted in empathy rather than public relations. Citizens are more likely to support difficult reforms when they believe their leaders understand the sacrifices being demanded of them and are making genuine efforts to ease the burden”

of the Netherlands, one of the world’s largest food exporters despite possessing only a fracon of Nigeria’s landmass. Coopera ves mobilise capital, promote shared ownership, build skills and create sustainable wealth. Poverty is not defeated by encouraging roadside survival businesses. Rather, coopera ves can establish modern food-processing enterprises capable of producing akara ﬂour, packaged bean products or commercialising lo-

cal delicacies such as Dodo Ikire. That represents enterprise. Encouraging individuals to remain trapped in low-income informal ac vi es does not.

Few Nigerians are persuaded by this excursion into a world of make-believe. The Federal Government must urgently reevaluate its economic policies and place the welfare of ordinary ci zens at the centre of governance. Economic policy should priori se produc ve investment, social protec on and broad-based prosperity—not specula on, survival economics or policies that leave the majority struggling while a privileged few prosper.

Economic reforms cannot be judged solely by macroeconomic indicators or the applause of interna onal financial ins tuons. Their true measure lies in the quality of life experienced by ordinary ci zens. When infla on consistently outpaces wage growth, when families skip meals to survive, and when businesses close under the weight of rising opera ng costs, official assurances that “things are ge ng be er” ring hollow. Economic policy succeeds only when its benefits are felt at the grassroots.

There is also an urgent need for government communica on to be rooted in empathy rather than public rela ons. Ci zens are more likely to support difficult reforms when they believe their leaders understand the sacrifices being demanded of them and are making genuine efforts to ease the burden. A empts to minimise hardship or portray widespread suffering as evidence of resilience only deepen public distrust and widen the gap between government and the governed.

OSUN DEFENDER

Telephone : 0809-301-9152 Website : www.osundefender.com/index.php e-mail : osundefenderhq@gmail.com osundefenderbank@gmail.com All correspondence to the above email addresses.

Nigeria possesses the human and natural resources to build a resilient and prosperous economy. What is required is leadership that confronts reality with honesty, designs policies around produc ve sectors of the economy, and protects the most vulnerable through eﬀec ve social interven ons. A government that listens to its people, acknowledges their struggles and adjusts its policies accordingly will earn far greater credibility than one that insists all is well while millions con nue to grapple with economic hardship.

JUSTICE Peter Odo Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, was far less known un l June 15, 2026, when an ill-considered judgement he delivered led to a polical erup on in the country. It was capable of derailing the poli cal process, and several persons and organisa ons, including the judiciary, scrambled to douse the ﬁres it was beginning to ignite. Not since the country’s return to the democra c path twenty-six years ago has a judgement attracted this much opprobrium, with no known body, including its possible beneﬁciaries, raising a voice in support.

My mind raced back to British jurist, Lord Denning, who famously declared in 1964: “Jus ce has no place in darkness or secrecy. When a judge sits on a case, he himself is on trial… If he is suspicious, biased, or unfair, then the judge is the one who is condemned in the eyes of public opinion.” But these words of wisdom seem not to have any meaning to Jus ce Lifu, shockingly, a former lecturer of Public and Interna onal Law, University of Ibadan. For me, what was more distressing was that, despite the uproar, Jus ce Lifu seemed oblivious of the damage he had done to the body polity, the judiciary, and his thirty-ﬁve years post-call-tobar history.

The main issues are that Jus ce Lifu, one way or the other, was handling controversial legal cases of poli cal

“But where the judge becomes the issue, rather than the justice he is expected to dispense, the judicial institution is threatened and its integrity called to question. Ordinarily, Justice Lifu should take a bow from the bench and save the institution further embarrassment. But if he does not, the judiciary should show him the exit”

PERSPECTIVE BY OWEI LAKEMFA

Anarchism In Judicial Robes

par es. In the specific case of the African Democra c Party, ADC, its Na onal Welfare Secretary, Nkem Ukandu, on June 5, 2026, filed a suit and formal pe on against Jus ce Lifu and the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Jus ce John Tsoho, accusing them of abusing their judicial powers and ignoring the Supreme Court. Also, the party’s Na onal Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, filed a mo on, asking Jus ce Lifu to recuse himself from the party’s leadership case.

Ten days later, that is, on Monday, June 15, 2026, the judge sat to pronounce judgement on another case involving the ADC. This par cular one was demanding the deregistra on of the ADC and four other poli cal par es: Accord Party, Ac on Alliance, AA, Ac on Peoples’ Party, and the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP. This was shocking because, on May 22, 2026, that is, twentyfour days earlier, the Court of Appeal had ordered a stay of proceedings in this suit. This had been ﬁled before Jus ce Lifu and brought to his a enon in open court. So, he was aware of the Appeal Court’s ruling but decided to overrule the superior court. In the speciﬁc case of the ADC, which appears to be the target of the judicial a ack, the party met the cons tu onal provisions of registra on, including Secon 225A, which states that a poli cal party should either win 25 per cent of the votes cast in a State or a seat in the Senate, House of Representaves, State House of Assembly, or as a councillor. In the 2023 General Elec ons, Honourable Leke Abejide of the ADC won the Yagba East/Yagba West/ Mopa-Muro Federal Cons tuency. Subsequently, a number of Senators and Members of

the Federal House of Representa ves decamped to the ADC.

So, if law is based on facts and evidence, and not judicial contrivance, there was no basis for him to deregister the party. Besides, the Independent Na onal Electoral Commission, INEC, the constu onal body empowered to register or deregister poli cal par es, had stated in court that the ﬁve poli cal par es met the cons tu onal provisions of registra on and that there was no basis to deregister them. But Jus ce Lifu, for yet unexplained reasons, apparently did not base his judgement on evidence, facts, cons tu onal provisions, the INEC posi on, nor recognise the powers of the Court of Appeal arres ng his judgement.

The next day a er he had pronounced the ADC dead, the same Jus ce Lifu sat over the leadership case of the party. The joke was on him: presiding over a poli cal party he had pronounced ‘dead’ and asking it and its Na onal Secretary to pay ﬁnes. Only in Jus ce Lifu’s court can a dead party be asked to pay a ﬁne. When this joke was being played out in his court, he seemed too da to comprehend what the lawyer, Kalu-Kalu Agu, was doing. As Jus ce Lifu sat to give his new ruling on the ADC, the lawyer cheekily told him: “My lord, the clerk of this court did men on the ma er is slated for a ruling today. In view of your lordship’s ruling and the con nuous existence of the 1st defendant (ADC) in this ma er, and having been declared dead, I don’t see any reason why this ruling should con nue. In your judgment, this court ordered INEC to deregister the 1st defendant. So, in the eye of the law, the

1st defendant is not exis ng.” Jus ce Lifu did not catch the sarcasm in Agu’s submission. Rather, he asked: “Are you a party in this suit?” “Yes, I am, my lord.” “Who joined you, or did you join yourself in your chambers?” He subsequently threatened to invoke the powers of the court on the lawyer.

That same Tuesday, June 16, 2026, a miffed Court of Appeal moved quickly to rescue the judicial ins tu on from Jus ce Lifu. In reversing his judgement, it lambasted him for defying its order suspending further proceedings and judgement on the poli cal par es’ de-registra on case. It described Jus ce Lifu’s violaon of its order as a: “brazen viola on of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constu on”. It further described his ac ons as: “the highest form of judicial imper nence (and) judicial rascality”, making him unfit to be a judge. The Court of Appeal pronouncement, from the bench, stripped Jusce Lifu of his integrity and derobed him in public, so that although he sat robed in the chambers, he is naked before the public. It is very rare for the judiciary to come down heavily on a judge. But apart from doing so to save the ins tu on, the Court of Appeal ruling might also have had the effect of arres ng Jus ce Lifu’s free fall into anarchism, like a drunken sailor falling off the deck of a ship. It led Lifu out like it would a bull in a china shop.

Indeed, the court is supposed to be a temple of jusce; an ins tu on where those in search of equity and fairness can head. Judges are the Chief Priests of the temple and the arbiters amongst the people; interpreters of the law or cons tu on, and dispensers of jus ce. But where the judge becomes the issue, rather than the jus ce he is expected to dispense, the judicial ins tu on is threatened and its integrity called to queson. Ordinarily, Jus ce Lifu should take a bow from the bench and save the ins tu on further embarrassment. But if he does not, the judiciary should show him the exit.

•Olufunmilayo Adebomi Ojo holds a Doctor -Lakemfa is a prominent Nigerian journalist, author, human rights advocate, and former trade union leader.