Osun: Oyetola And Adeleke At Fresh War Over Looting Of Govt House

The media aides of both the immediate past governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke have embarked on a fresh war of words over the alleged looting of the state Government House.

Naija News understands that Oyetola’s aide, Ismail Omipidan, at a press briefing on Wednesday in Osogbo, accused the current administration of being behind the looting of the state’s government house.

Omipidan alleged that loyalists of Governor Adeleke were responsible for the said looting.

According to him, the allegation that his principal was responsible for the looting is rather ridiculous and sarcastic, as it is intended to soil the reputation of the former governor.

Oyetola’s aide noted that he was disappointed at the false alarm raised by Adeleke’s men, who ordinarily should have been guided by the record of the inventory taken before the formal handover of the items in the Governor’s lodge and Presidential quarters in Government House to the current administration.

Omipidan faulted Adeleke for his failure to protect the items bequeathed to them by the outgone administration.

He described it as ungodly for Adeleke’s men to have raised an empty alarm over an illicit action taken by them, noting that it is on record that the new government took over the possession of the Government House a day before the inauguration of Ademola Adeleke.

He stated that “All the items alleged to have been carted away were intact as at the time of handing over. If there was any looting as claimed by the agents of the new government, then we should look in their direction.

“My principal is a man of impeccable character. How on earth any right-thinking person will accuse him of stealing things as cheap as spoons, methylated spirits, and a cooker and emptying the First Aid Box?

“My principal stopped sleeping in the Government House on Saturday, November 19, 2022, and by November 26, 2022, an inventory was conducted in the company of DSS officials who were attached to the Government House at the time and security operatives attached to the new Governor, particularly A. Umale and Pius Akpan.

According to Omipidan, in the DSS report dated November 26, 2022, and titled: ‘INVENTORY OF ITEMS IN OSUN STATE GOVERNOR’S AND PRESIDENTIAL LODGES,’ it is reported that, ‘On 26th November 2022, about 1400hour, a team of the Protocol Department, Osun State Governor’s Office, Abere, led by Mr FALODE, in the company of two(2) officers of the Department of State Services (DSS), namely Usman ADEDIRAN and Sunday Posu, painstakingly took the inventory of items in the above-mentioned places.

“The items were thereafter handed over to A. UMALE and Pius AKPAN, DSS personnel and security details of the new Governor, ADEMOLA ADELEKE without any complaint.

“It is further noteworthy that nothing suggests that any of the items in the buildings were carted away, as all were intact as at the time of handing over. Attached herewith is a list of items in both buildings. And they went further to list the items one by one, covering 8 pages. In the inventory, among the items listed are: 6 Face Big Gas Cooker with Oven and 4 Face Kenstar Cooker with Oven among others.”

However, Naija News gathered that in response to the counter-allegation, Adeleke’s spokesperson Olawale Rasheed in a statement slammed Omipidan for attempting to shift the blame on the DSS and the police.

He pointed out that the latest propaganda attempt was an afterthought, adding that there was video evidence everywhere to prove the allegations.

Rasheed submitted that “It is utterly wicked on the part of Omipidan to attempt to shift the looting on innocent security agencies whom he claimed Oyetola handed over the assets that were looted bare.

“It was even an aberration in a democratic clime that an outgoing government would claim to hand over to security agencies instead of the incoming administration. Omipidan’s afterthought denial is shameful, to say the least.”

He advanced that three high-ranking officials of the past administration have spoken on the looting and it was clear that two of them, Sunday Akere and Funke Egbemode, the former Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation admitted to the looting because they were fed up with propaganda and lying to the public.