A group of attackers branding themselves as ‘Governor Fayose’s boys’ were on the prowl on Friday, July 31, in different areas of Ekiti state.

The State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Tope Aluko, revealed to Punch Newspapers, that he luckily escaped an assassination attempt on his life, at the PDP secretariat in Ado Ekiti.

Aluko was quoted to have 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.”

Similarly, a certain Prince Bunmi Ademolaju was attacked at a popular hotel in Ado-Ekiti on the same day. His attackers were said to have shouted that they were Governor Fayose’s boys.

The Ekiti State Government has, however, distanced itself from the attacks as well as ‘Governor Fayose’s boys’, while urging security agencies and residents to help arrest the perpetrators of the attacks.

The government would also allege that some people are trying to make the state ungovernable because they lost power to the incumbent governor, Ayo Fayose.

The governor’s Special Adviser on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, released a statement to this effect on Saturday, July 31.

The 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.”

“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.”

Kolapo Olapoju