Gunmen attack Adeleke's convoy in Osogbo, 15 minutes of gunfire

Yesterday, suspected hoodlums attacked the convoy of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke right after he received his Certificate of Return from INEC in Osogbo. The governor had just left the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, where he had presented the certificate, when the attackers struck. The exchange of gunfire with his security personnel lasted a full 12 to 15 minutes, and it is a miracle no one was killed.

The Osun State Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, confirmed the attack and said, "They are hoodlums, and the governor's security repelled them. They attacked the governor's convoy at Ataoja's palace. No casualty." An eyewitness said the attackers came in an unregistered Sienna Space Bus through the Ita Olokan area, and even damaged the main gate to the palace. A trader named Munirat near the palace said, "We suspected that those hoodlums heard about Adeleke's visit and had been waiting for him. They came in a Sienna Space Bus. They even damaged the main gate to the palace."

This is not just about one man. When a sitting governor cannot move freely in his own state after an election, it tells you how far we have fallen as a nation. Sporadic gunshots were still heard around the area as of 4:45pm, and traders shut their shops in panic. If this is the price of winning an election in Nigeria, then what hope is there for the ordinary citizen who has no security detail? Is this the democracy we fought for?