Akeredolu praises military over arrest of suspected Oke’s armed thugs

The Aketi Media Group of the Akeredolu Campaign Platform has commended the military for its professionalism and vigilance in the arrest of gunmen on the campaign trail of the candidate of the Alliance for Democracy for the governorship election in Ondo State, Olusola Oke.
The men were accosted by military men at a checkpoint in Okitipupa.
They were found with pump action guns, machetes and a digital camera.
The men first claimed to be journalists, but they had no means of identification.
They merely used the camera to disguise as journalists before the military men discovered the guns inside their vehicle.
The suspected thugs were arrested immediately and detained at Okitipupa Military Barracks where they were interrogated.
Reacting to the development, the Director of Communications of the Akeredolu Campaign Platform, Soji Alakuro, berated Oke for allegedly harbouring armed thugs to terrorise innocent citizens in order to precipitate violence before, during and after the election.
Alakuro said: “Oke is a desperate politician seeking power at all costs by jumping from several political parties before berthing in AD to clinch the governorship ticket.
“It is baffling that after that political flirtation, he is not yet content with the civil manner of seeking power, but has gone ahead to recruit thugs to unleash violence on the citizens while seeking political power at all costs.
“This is a confirmation of report in the media that armed militias have been housed in neighouring states from where they will be deployed to Ondo State to work for Oke and cause mayhem if things don’t go his way on election day.
“We call on law-abiding citizens of Ondo State not to panic because the security agents are on the alert to ensure their safety and protect them from the antics of a desperate candidate who is hell-bent on winning at all costs.
“Election should not be a do-or-die affair, as the quest to serve the people should not involve the deployment of guns and machetes but through articulation of programmes that meet the appeals and yearnings of the people through good governance put in place by the free will of the people.”
Alakuro appealed to security agents to ensure a conducive atmosphere that would ensure a peaceful election, even as he urged security agencies to be more vigilant in checking the activities of criminals that were allegedly being imported to the state by Oke and his desperate cohorts.