Osun East Senator Francis Fadahunsi has made a death threat to Accord Party members in Ilesa ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.
He made the threat in a viral video, raising concerns about rising political violence in the state.
Mr. Fadahunsi spoke in Yoruba to supporters at a protest at Ijesaland’s Owa Obokun Palace against what he termed the massacre of APC members in Ijesaland.
In a video circulating online, the senator, accompanied by other All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders, accuses Accord Party members of killing people.
“The cap they wear—it is a yellow fever cap; it is the cap of an animal,” Mr. Fadahunsi said, referring to the Accord Party’s yellow brand.
Each of the threats launched at the Accord Party was received with approving cheers from the crowd.
“It is an animal that kills. Have you ever heard that APC killed anyone? Are those being killed not your people?” Mr. Fadahunsi said.
“So, we have come to tell you, up till the day of the election, if we see them, it is killing.”
The announcement comes a day after three persons were killed in a shooting in the Imo region of Ilesa, Osun State, amid rising political tensions in the community ahead of the governorship election on August 15.
The circumstances surrounding the killings, however, are still debated.
While community sources linked the incident to a confrontation between APC and Accord supporters, the Osun State Police Command stated that the violence was caused by a cult comprising alleged members of the Aiye and Eiye confraternities.
Police confirmed that persons named only as Idowu, Yinka, and Eja were reportedly shot dead in the clash and recorded the recovery of four expended cartridges and two Android phones from the scene.
Following a distress call, Samuel Erale Etaifo, the commissioner of police in charge of the election, directed the deployment of VCRU operatives to the area.
“The CP Election has directed the VCRU operatives and other tactical teams to intensify patrols, surveillance, and intelligence-led operations within Ilesa and adjoining areas, particularly around identified flashpoints, to forestall any reprisal attack,” the statement read.
The Ilesa incident adds to the growing killings in the state, including those linked to pre-election violence ahead of the August 15 election.
The Nigeria Police Force acknowledged the severity of the situation, revealing in July that 30 people were allegedly killed in pre-election violence incidents in Osun.
“From the complaints received, we cannot rule out the involvement of some politicians in the killings,” said Anietie Iniedu, the Force Public Relations Officer (PRO), during a morning brief program on Channel TV.
