Thugs beat, strip ‘suspended’ Ondo council chair

Violence broke out yesterday at the Owo Local Government Secretariat in Ondo State after the ‘suspended’ council chairman, Tope Omolayo, attempted to resume duty, triggering panic and tension in the area.

It was gathered that shortly after Omolayo’s arrival, suspected thugs reportedly stormed the premises and attacked the embattled chairman.

Several witnesses said the ‘suspended’ chairman was beaten and stripped, while gunshots were fired into the air, causing workers and residents to flee

The Nation gathered that trouble started when Omolayo, who was suspended in October, last year by the councillors over alleged misconduct, arrived at the secretariat amid uncertainty surrounding the status of his suspension.

Sources in the council, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said there was no communication indicating a reversal of Omolayo’s suspension prior to his appearance.

Another source told our reporter that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had hinted that Omolayo would resume after both men allegedly met to settle the disagreements between them in the council.

According to the source, the governor’s directive was, however, allegedly faulted by loyalists of a commissioner, who had been accused of being behind the leadership crisis rocking the the local government.

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The crisis involving Omolayo dates back to a viral audio recording in which he was alleged to have made disparaging remarks about the Olowo of Owo, Ajibade Ogunoye, the town’s traditional ruler.

Following the incident, the Olowo-in-Council declared the chairman ‘persona non-grata’ in the kingdom, despite a public apology in which Omolayo admitted wrongdoing and expressed regret over his comments.

The council insisted at the time that his continued stay in office was unacceptable, describing his remarks as disrespectful to the traditional institution.

Eyewitness alleged that some of the attackers were known individuals in the community, with unverified claims that they acted on instructions from the palace.

The palace has yet to respond to the allegations.

The incident disrupted activities at the secretariat and heightened fears among residents, many of whom called for urgent intervention by the state government.

Police spokesperson, Deputy Superintendent of Police Jimoh Abayomi, explained that the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, ordered the deployment of security personnel to the scene.

“The attention of the Command was drawn to this report. Upon receipt, the Commissioner of Police promptly ordered the immediate deployment of security personnel and operational assets to the scene.

“This swift response has successfully restored calm and normalcy in the area,” Abayomi said.

He added that investigations were ongoing and assured that those responsible would be brought to justice.

Omolayo was not available for comments when contacted on the phone.

A message sent to him was yet to be delivered as of press time.