I assumed that the news that Senator Ademola Adeleke had survived an attempted assassination at an Eid prayer site had to be a hoax or phony report when it was initially shared with me. I thought it was unlikely that there would be a plot to assassinate a state governor who was in office at an Eid prayer location.
I also considered the possibility that the unhappy individuals or groups referred to as enemies of state that the Department of State Security had earlier forewarned us about in its statement that public spaces should be scrupulously secured against attacks might have made their choice, ‘Osun State’.
I came across a publication from one of the governor’s aides while searching the internet for more information. I quickly skimmed the publication to find the location of the Eid praying ground, and I was rudely surprised to learn that the governor also attended Osogbo Eid praying ground, the same location my Muslim family attended.
I was quite relieved, knowing that other families who didn’t have special protection would have gone home if my family had been able to do so calmly and without haste. I was extremely concerned about the hundreds of Muslim believers who might have gathered at the same Eid prayer location and might have been subject to attacks from these violent personifications while security personnel struggled to save the governor and other important dignitaries.
Even if I had been mistaken about the purported assassination attempt, the main reason for or element contributing to the viral tale continued to worry me. While I was perplexing my senses to understand why someone or something would wish to kill Senator Ademola Adeleke, a cheery and naturally happy person, I was also concerned about the disclosure of the attempted assassination that came from the governor’s office. The statement has the same academically pretentious language that artisans’ associations publish. Despite all the fanfare in the article, it provided no justification for or clarification on the purported assassination attempt.
I’ve read various articles regarding the incident. I have listened to both parties’ narrators in equal measure. I inferred that all parties acknowledged that the seating arrangement and the involvement of thugs in the situation were the root reasons of the altercation. Both both concurred that the governor stormed off and into his waiting car. No one suggested that the governor escaped the clutches of thugs or jumped into the car to avoid being shot.
There were also allegations. While the Senator claimed that those who followed the governor to his seat are thugs and incompetent individuals, the governor’s spokesperson claimed that there were three buses loaded with thugs on standby. I leave it up to security agencies to figure out what truly happened. We can only hope that the results of the investigation will eventually be made public so we can learn the truth.
For me, yesterday’s events seemed more like a fight or an assault than a failed assassination. Has the Governor’s team gone too far? Yes. Did the incident happen in a tragic, unfortunate, preventable, and unsatisfactory way? Yes. At the scene, were there any thugs? Yes. Thugs are present throughout the state. Thugs are undoubtedly there to see their abandoned fathers. Who are the men who abandoned them? Politicians.
Nobody on earth, not even a state governor or a former senator from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in my opinion, deserves to be mistreated or made fun of. Regarding the altercation at the Eid worshiping grounds, I am, nevertheless, at a loss for words for public servants and politicians.
Anywhere where there are politicians, there will undoubtedly be conflict, but I have some words for religious leaders who have imposed class distinctions, segregation, and hierarchy even in the presence of Allah, who sees all people as being equal and of one blood.
When Muslims are in front of Allah, there is no hierarchy in Islam. They consider themselves to be equal beings. Come early if you want to sit in the front row. The front roll is typically recommended for individuals who are familiar with the Quran since it is intended for those who can correct the Imam or carry on with the prayer if the Imam is unable to. Unfortunately, the situation has changed. Our imams now permit elites and politicians who have been involved in all kinds of atrocities to fill the front row, denying true Muslims who arrive early out of a desire to be associated with those in positions of authority or to gather money.
As the flames of the alleged murder attempt continue to burn, another picture of a sitting governor who attended Eid prayer and sat among people surfaced online. The custom of assigning certain seats to individuals needs to end. The front rows shouldn’t always be reserved for the affluent. People can fill up once those who arrive early and can correctly read the Quran are positioned. Every Muslim would attend Eid and depart quietly if we stopped the deliberate segregation. A sanctuary of divine contact, not a forum for settling political scores, should be the Eid prayer area. Thanks, but no thanks to our religious leaders who are more afraid of food than their creator.
However, I am sympathetic to Senator Ademola Adeleke and relieved that, despite the assassination attempt described by his spokesperson, he survived. If the claims of his spokesperson are true, escaping an assassination is a rare luxury indeed, but we as a state should be concerned if political thugs have the audacity or confidence to assault a sitting governor of a state in a location where security personnel are present.
On my Facebook page just a week ago, I had an intriguing discussion about political violence, gansterism, and the negative impact it has on the state with one of Governor Adeleke’s aides. I mentioned the story of a female student at the Federal Polytechnic Ede who was sexually assaulted by Yemi Aleeba, a prominent hoodlum and reputed zonal leader of motorcycle gangs in 10 local governments. I complained that Osun ancestors ought to awaken and save the state from her latest low, thuggery.
In spite of citing incidents of rape and gang activity in our schools, he accused me of seeking for cheap fame. I was also accused of seeking attention by a follower of Governor Adeleke who was later evicted from the media group of the governor.
Days later, the office where he works released information claiming that Senator Ademola Adeleke had narrowly averted an attempted assassination. When I read the aide’s lamentations in the comments and posts, I was reminded of a sage’s quote: “Wickedness is like a food.” As you put more, the stomach enlarges.
God will save Osun State. What a loud Amen from every corner!
Who wants to assassinate Senator Ademola Adeleke? Our trusted security organizations are working on the response. We are waiting.