THE first executive governor of Osun State, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, is dead.



The atmosphere around his home in Ede was tense, as many struggled to catch a glimpse of his corpse, which was brought in a hearse around 1.10 p.m., as crowd of sympathisers and family members wailed when they sighted his corpse.

Efforts made by journalists to take photographs were bluntly resisted, as some enraged youths attacked the reporter of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Osogbo, Mr Tope Alabi and his cameraman, whose camera was damaged.

Similarly, some youths, numbering over 300, began a violent protest at Aisu, a suburb of Ede community, located on Gbongan-Ibadan Expressway, setting bonfire, thus inhibiting flow of traffic on the road.

The youths, who alleged that the late senator was poisoned, opposed video coverage of the event.

Alabi was assaulted on the head and had to be taken to Osogbo for treatment while his cameraman escaped to a nearby bush.

Security had, however, been beefed-up at the residence as family members and friends awaited the burial of the late politician.

An Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was stationed very close to Adeleke’s house, while a police vehicle was sighted patrolling the town.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent at the residence reported that the corpse of the late senator was brought to his residence in Ede at about 1.10 p.m. from Biket Hospital in Osogbo.

It was, however, later taken to the Ladoke Akintola Teaching Hospital in Osogbo for autopsy, as family members insisted on ascertaining the cause of death.

Muslim clerics, waiting to perform the final burial rites had to wait, while his remains, which was brought in an ambulance was returned to the hospital for post-mortem.

As of the time of filing this report, family members and sympathisers of the politician and socialites were still expecting the return of his corpse for Islamic burial rites.

No family member was willing to speak to newsmen.

Meanwhile, Ede township, his country home, wore a mournful look as symphatisers thronged his private residence located via Aisu, to pay their last respect to the political titan.

Adeleke, who was 62 years old, was the senator representing Osun West Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

A two-term senator, Adeleke, won Osun West Senatorial District seat in 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015 to return to the upper chamber.

http://www.gistpeeps.com/2017/04/ede-erupts-in-anger-over-senator-adeleke-death.html