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His killing at about 10pm on Wednesday came barely eight hours after he was dropped as CSO.
A N10m reward has been announced by the state government for anyone who can volunteer information that could lead to the arrest of the killers.
There were two accounts of the incident which occurred shortly before an Osun State House of Assembly member-elect, Mr. Timothy Owoeye, was allegedly abducted by yet-to-be-identified men.
The first account had it that two men on a motorbike trailed the former CSO to a super- market in Ijoka area of Akure and shot him in the head after exchanging pleasantries with him.
The other version had it that a gang of armed men had invaded the supermarket with an intention to rob.
A source said that Awanebi was shot by one of the gunmen when he attempted to disarm them.
The source added that the Awanebi was identified through his mobile telephone by those who rushed to the scene of the incident.
The telephone was reportedly used to call some government officials whose numbers had been stored in it.
The Commissioner of Police, Ondo State Command, Mr. Innocent Ilozuoke, who confirmed the killing, said that the police were “looking into the matter.”
Agbi stated that Awanebi‘s killing came barely 24 hours after a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Bode Alonge, was shot dead by gunmen also in Akure.
Agbi said, “We are indeed worried by the spate of unchecked violence which has unfortunately stalked our hitherto peaceful state in the last five months.
“While we are not preempting the police investigations into these heinous crimes, we would also like to remind the people of Ondo State that they should not forget those who introduced violence into our political canvass.
“Since the entrance of the Labour Party into the political space of Ondo State, our state seems to have lost its innocence. It started with electioneering.
He also alleged that some chieftains of the PDP had been inundated with death threats through anonymous telephone calls and text messages.
The LP, in its reaction said, “The death of the former CSO was no doubt done to cover up some of the nefarious activities of the government at the last polls in which the late CSO was an active participant.”
The party’s Director of Press, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi, added, “How come that it was the very day the CSO was dropped that he was shot dead? Who wanted him dead other than those who felt that he might spill the beans now that he had been unceremoniously eased out after being used for their dirty jobs?
“These are questions that the PDP must answer instead of accusing wrong people.”
In Osun State, a yet-to-be-identified gang abducted Owoeye from his residence.
The men reportedly arrived at his home in Ilesa East Constituency in two vehicles with both Lagos and Abuja registration numbers.
The lawmaker’s case was just one out of the harrowing experiences people of the state were undergoing allegedly in the hands of the powers that be.
Aregbesola said that contrary to allegations, he was not responsible for the cases of violence witnessed in the state in the build-up to the poll.
He urged those behind what he termed the harassment, humiliation and brutalisation of people to desist.
The former Lagos State Comissioner for Works and Infrastructure said that the experience he garnered in the process of leading people since his school days to his recent leadership positions in the larger society had taught him that violence, rather than help any matter, aggravates it.
The Director of Strategy and Research, Action Congress, Osun State, Mr. Sunday Akere also confirmed Owoeye’s abduction.
Akere said, “They (kidnappers) drove into his residence in two vehicles with number plates – CY 595 ABJ and AJ 959 AAA. They carried guns, machetes and swords.
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, Osun Command, Mr. Joshua Olayemi, said that the command would investigate the allegation.
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