Ekiti warns ‘Fayose boys’ over attacks on residents

Political violence returned to Ekiti State on Friday as innocent persons were allegedly attacked at various locations in the state. The Ekiti State Government has, however, called on security agencies and residents to help in arresting the people claiming to be Governor Ayodele Fayose boys. In a statement on Saturday, the governor’s Special Adviser on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, raised the alarm over some unscrupulous people now attacking innocent people, “claiming that Governor Ayodele Fayose sent them.” The State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Tope Aluko, had on Friday told our correspondent how he escaped assassination attempt at the PDP secretariat in Ado Ekiti. In a telephone interview with our correspondent on Friday night, Aluko said, “I came out of the car and was moving towards the office when the people came from their hideout and opened fire at me in company with one of my aides. We quickly ran for cover. “The assassins quickly escaped from the scene in a car parked across the road, probably thinking we won’t survive the attack.” The state Police Public Relations Officer, Alberto Adeyemi, however, said he had yet to receive any report on the incident. On Saturday, the state government, in the statement, said, “One Prince Bunmi Ademolaju was attacked at a popular hotel in Ado-Ekiti on Friday. The government statement read in part, “The Ekiti State Government wishes to inform the general public that some unscrupulous people now go about attacking innocent residents of the state, claiming that Governor Ayodele Fayose sent them. “Yesterday, Friday, July 31, one Prince Bunmi Ademolaju was attacked at a popular hotel in Ado- Ekiti. Those who attacked him were said to have shouted that they were Governor Fayose’s boys. “We have it on good authority that the plot of these unscrupulous elements is to go about attacking notable indigenes of Ekiti State and claiming that they were sent by Governor Fayose.” The government, who distanced itself from the reported attacks, said the trend might be another plot to discredit Fayose by those who had lost every war they waged against him. it added, “By announcing that they were Governor Fayose’s boys, the motive of the criminals has no doubt been exposed, and it cannot be anything other than to set the people against the governor. “We therefore wish to state categorically that Governor Fayose does not harbour criminals. He does not have boys anywhere, not to talk of sending them to attack innocent residents of Ekiti State. “Anyone caught attacking or assaulting residents of Ekiti State in the name of ‘Governor Fayose’s Boys’ should be apprehended and handed over to law enforcement agents for appropriate action. “Once again, we state that Governor Fayose does not habour criminals under whatever guise. “Ekiti people and the law enforcement agents should take note of this new trend of criminality obviously coming from those whose only interest is to make Ekiti State impossible just because they lost power.”