The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chapter of Isokan Local Government have denied involvement in the death of Kazeem All, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Osun State also known as (Kekere Kazuma) Kazeem Kekere who was killed by gunmen in Apomu in Isokan Local Government Area (LGA) on Saturday night.

Kazeem, who is also the Branch Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Apomu headquarters of Isokan LGA, was shot dead on Saturday night.

It was learnt that he had been using his position to canvass support for the APC during the gubernatorial election and allegedly deprived other political parties avenue to use vehicles in his garage.

Kazeem Kekere was killed on Saturday night after he was trailed to a spot in the community.

“He was killed around 8 and 9pm between Oke-Alfa and Timberland area, at the stream in the area. He was pursued to the spot by two vehicles. The cars trailed him to the point where his car was waylaid and he was killed.” A source said.

Confirming the incident, the Isokan Local Government Secretary, Tajudeen Bello, said: “Alhaji Kazeem was killed by gunmen yesterday night.

“He played major role during 2022 Osun state governorship election. As a chairman of NURTW, he directed all his members to vote for APC and threatened that anybody who voted for the PDP would be dealt with as long as he was the chairman.

“He was reported at the palace and he stood by his words.”

Similarly, the APC chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun through his media aide, Kola Olabisi confirmed the incident.

Meanwhile, the Osun State Police command is yet to react to the incident.

Many news medium, led by mainstream media houses directly and indirectly pointed authorities to the PDP.

Reacting to these moves, the Isokan PDP says The Nations, Punch Newspapers, Osun APC deserved to be sued.

A statement signed by the Isokan PDP Media Department reads;

”To our greatest dismay and shocking belief, the media outlets of the Nations and the Punch Newspapers with the Osun state chapter of the All Progressive Congress are apparently deserved to be taken to the court over the misleading, unfounded and delusive reportages credited to their media houses to soil the name and integrity of the Peoples Democratic Party in Isokan local government chapter and Osun state by extension.

The purported death of Alhaji Kekere Kasuma (Kazeem Kekere) came as a shock to the people of Apomu Kingdom and Isokan local government at large as the leader of the NURTW in Apomu who has contributed immensely to the development of Apomu land.

However, it will be a greatest mistake to have misled the entire public through the failed attempt of the All Progressive Congress to wrongly allege the PDP the gruesome killing of the elder statesman.

There’s no valid evidence that Alhaji Kekere Kasuma was killed during the attack and if anyone would be attacked by the PDP as claimed by these unscrupulous media outlets cannot be the person who sees the progress of the town as his priority. Since the birth of our party in Isokan local government, there’s not been any record of killing among our politicians, not even the person who has no membership card of any political party as we speak.

Firstly, as of the time of making this public release, no one has seen the remains of the victim and his whereabouts has not been revealed to anyone since the time he was attacked. Where did the APC see the victim to know if he was gruesomely murdered by the PDP as claimed by their sponsored media houses? The ugly incident that has thrown the whole of our town into mourning since the time of this ugly incidence.

Also, as stated in the reports of their sponsored media outlets that Alhaji Kekere Kasuma was an APC member before the attack, what was their basis to know the attack was political and that the PDP was the only party to have attacked him when concrete proof has not been revealed to back up their claims. It shows their deliberate attempt to soil the name of the PDP in the local government and the state is dead on arrival and not worthy of intellectual scrutiny.

We hereby appeal to the members of the public particularly the good people of Apomu Kingdom and Isokan local government to disregard the concocted lies that the attack of Alhaji Kekere Kasuma was politically motivated by the PDP. There’s no concrete proof that any member of the party attacked the victim and no one is directly or indirectly sponsored to attack the victim on the account of political affiliations.

Finally, we enjoin the people of Apomu Kingdom in their large numbers and the family members of the victim to be resolute, prayerful and calm till the victim is found alive by God’s grace and the personnel of the security operatives finish their ongoing investigations on the case. In it lies in how the victim was attacked and taken away afterwards, will be revealed instead of the concocted lies and stories of different versions with the aim of soiling the name of our party.

If the apology is not timely tendered, our party will not hesitate to take drastic and legal actions on the deliberate attempt to mar the integrity and good name our party is known for in not only Osun state but also throughout the federation.”

Meanwhile, the police command in Osun on Sunday said it had arrested eight suspects in connection with the kidnapping of the branch chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Apomu, Ali Kazeem, aka Kekere Kazuma.

According to SP Yemisi Opalola, Osun Police spokesperson, Kazeem was allegedly abducted on Saturday and taken into the bush after he was trailed from his motor park to Oke-Afa Area in Apomu.

“Based on the information, the Area Commander of Ikire promptly mobilised the combined team of vigilante and police detectives from Ikire Area Command to the scene.

“The team, however, discovered that the victim was traced from his motor park to Oke Afa Area, Apomu, where he was forcefully stopped, pulled out from his Toyota Corolla ash colour with registration number, APM 203 AA, macheted and taken away by the assailant(s),“ the police statement said.

Opalola said that photographs had been taken of the scene and that police tactical team, local hunters and some natives had been mobilised to comb the surrounding bush to rescue the victim.

She said the condition of the kidnapped victim, either dead or alive, could not be ascertained because he had not been found yet.

She, however, said the Osun Police Commissioner, Olawale Olokode has assured the public that all the perpetrators of the heinous crime would be arrested and made to face justice. (NAN)