Aides of the former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, Ismail Omipidan and Olawale Rasheed on Wednesday traded blames over alleged looting of the government house.
Omipidan while addressing newsmen in Osogbo, said items in the official quarters of the Governor and that of the presidential lodge were intact before Oyetola exited the office on November 26. He added that officials from the protocol unit attached to Adeleke and men of the State Security Service took inventory of the items in the lodges before his Principal left.
He therefore alleged loyalists of the incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of being behind the looting, stating that a party was held on Sunday November 27 by the PDP after the inauguration.
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 1400houre, a team of the Protocol Department, Osun State Governor’s Office, Abere, led by Mr. FALODE, in 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 was 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.
“It is, therefore, ridiculous to accuse my Principal of taking away spoons, cooker and methylated spirit. From the foregoing, if there was any looting as being claimed by the agents of the new government, then we should look in their direction.
“They cannot take over, and then come to raise alarm 72 hours later that there was looting in the same place where they held their inauguration party on Sunday, November 27.”
In his reaction, Spokesperson to Governor Adeleke, Rasheed taunted the Oyetola’s team as being confused. He said the former Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Funke Egbemode had in a statement earlier admitted looting of the government house.
He said, “The latest propaganda attempt is an after thought of a robber caught in the act by people of Osun people, the real owners of the assets. The vidéo evidence is everywhere and history was recorded against a team that proved in every sense to be anti-people.
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 democratic clime that an outgoing government would claim to hand over to security agencies instead of the incoming administration. Omipidan after thought denial is shameful to say the least.”
