Nigeri’s opposition All Progressives’ Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has fingered Governor Ayodele Fayose of the state in the Monday jail break during which many inmates of the prison escaped after some gunmen attacked the prison. The party said that the conflicting reports by the governor and his media aide, Lere Olayinka showed that the governor had a hand in it.
In a statement today by the state publicity secretary Taiwo Olatubosun, the APC said that while the governor blamed the prison officials for complicity, Olayinka accused APC of masterminding the crime to free Niyi Adedipe, who was in prison custody over alleged complicity in the murder of drivers’ union boss, Omolafe Aderiye.
It said that the latest report of the sighting of four of the escaped prisoners in the Government House confirmed the earlier suspicion that the Monday incident was an orchestrated plan to free criminals friendly with the government to unleash them on the opponents as suspicion of alleged killer squad in Ekiti State grew.
“If the jail break was an attempt by APC to free Adedipe, why did Adedipe report himself to the police and subsequently surrendered himself to the prisons authorities without being declared wanted?
“If the jail break is to kill Niyi Adedipe as alleged by Lere Olayinka, Why was he not killed?
“Today, Ekiti people have information that four of the escapees, including a notorious criminal and serial rapist that participated in attacking Fayose’s opponents during his first stint, are being lodged in the chalets behind the Presidential Lodge in the Government House.”
The party said that the unfolding drama confirmed APC’s outcry that a killer squad is being raised for attacks on opponents.
APC added: “We have raised issues on the reasons why Fayose specifically demanded the police authorities in Abuja to post back to Ekiti State some of the police officers that worked with him during his first stint. These officers formed the core of the killler squad that were indicted by the SSS panel set up by President Olusegun Obasanjo. It is the same officers that are back today in Ekiti State after a special request that they be reposted to Ekiti State.
“We are not surprised that the local content of this crime ring is being re-activated by releasing them from jail for maximum results and we are calling the attention of Nigerians and lovers of peace and security around the world that the merchants of death are back in Ekiti State to terrorise the people of Ekiti State.
“We can now see why security vote for security agents’ to fight crimes has been reduced while personal security vote for the governor has doubled.”
The party called on the security agents to comb the Presidential lodge of the Government House to re-arrest the escapees quartered there.
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