One resident reportedly died when hoodlums attacked the convoy of Osun Governor Adegboyega Oyetola after he addressed #EndSARS protesters at popular Ola-Iya junction, Osogbo on Saturday.
The protesters had converged at the junction at the early hours of Saturday but were attacked by thugs with cutlasses and sticks.
One of the protesters identified as Olatokun Oyadele was injured by the hoodlums.
However, they re-converged at the junction and continued their agitation, demanding Oyetola should address them.
At about 2:54pm, the Governor marched with other executives from Alekuwodo Area to Ola-Iya Junction where the protesters gathered.
Oyetola apologised to the protesters for keeping them waiting at the scene and urged them to be peaceful in their agitation.
He said Governors in the country have come up with strategies on how the demands of protesters will be addressed in a meeting at Abuja.
He entered one of the vehicles in his convoy when some hoodlums, brandishing cutlasses, stormed the scene and attacked the Governor’s convoy.
They pelted the vehicles with stones and sticks, forcing the Governor’s convoy to escape through Odi-Olowo street.
It was gathered some goverment officials were wounded in the attack as vehicles in the convoy were damaged.
After the attack on the Governor’s convoy, pandemonium erupted as thugs took over the Ola-Iya junction and harassed bystanders.
Some of the thugs armed with axes, broken bottles and cutlasses mounted bikes and start moving around the town violently.
The Nation gathered a resident was hit by a stray bullet at Oke-Ayiepe area when some thugs invaded the area.
A statement by the Information and Civic Orientation commissioner, Mrs. Funke Egbemonde said: “It was an assassination attempt. This was certainly beyond the #EndSARS protest. The people who launched the attack were not protesters at all.
“Protests have been going on in the State for some days now and there had been no attack on any government official since the beginning of the protest.
“However, today’s attack changed the narrative. It was not a spontaneous attempt. The attackers had it all planned. They had guns and other weapons. In fact, it was a woman who smashed the windscreen of the vehicle of the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Wole Oyebamiji where I was.
“It is really sad that these people infiltrated the ranks of the peaceful protesters and took advantage of the Governor’s walk with the youths to execute their sinister intentions.
“It was simply a street coup to take out the Governor, his Deputy and the Secretary to the State Government, all of whom were exposed during the protest and had to be smuggled into vehicles when the attack was launched.”
