Senator wey say 'kill dem' don show for police, but im still dey deny

Senator Francis Fadahunsi, the man representing Osun East in the National Assembly, finally appeared at the Osun State Police Command headquarters in Osogbo yesterday after being summoned for interrogation. He arrived around 2:35pm with the Commissioner of Police in charge of election security, Samuel Erale. The whole thing started from a viral video where he allegedly told his supporters to kill members of the Accord Party during a campaign rally in Ilesa, ahead of Saturday's governorship election.

In that video, which has since triggered condemnation across the country, Fadahunsi was addressing a cheering crowd in Yoruba and said, "Which kind life be dis? We no want hear anytin about di Accord Party again for Ilesa. How many pipo APC pipo don kill, no be una pipo dem dey kill? We don come tell una, until di day of di election, if you see dem, kill dem." The police letter, signed by Erale and dated 11 August, asked him to clarify statements considered "threatening, inciting, and intimidating in nature." The police spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, made it clear that no one is above this, saying, "E be senator of di Federal Republic of Nigeria. We no dey tok about immunity for here."

But Fadahunsi is not going down quietly. He claims the video is AI-generated and that he was misquoted, insisting he said "kill dem by dia votes" and not what is being circulated. He says his speech was about the continued killing of APC members by alleged thugs in Ilesa, and that his party will defend its people if the violence continues. Interestingly, it was Davido who posted the video, and he is the nephew of Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election. So you see the politics in this matter. The question is, should we take a senator's word over a video that many have seen with their own eyes? And what does this say about the state of our elections when those who should protect the process are the ones inciting violence?