Ekiti Violence: Uneasy Calm In Ado-Ekiti As Soldiers Are Deployed

Ado-Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State on Saturday, had a semblance of normalcy after a series of violent activities by hoodlums and arsonists which rocked the city from Monday.

The crisis took a turn for the worse on Thursday following the assassination of Chief Omolafe Aderiye, former State Chairman, Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) by unknown gunmen.


Aderiye, in his fifties and a staunch supporter of the governor-elect, Mr. Ayo Fayose, was reported shot at close range in the chest and stomach while relaxing in the company of friends and associates about 8:30pm at his office located in the Ijigbo area of Ado-Ekiti, by men who were said to have dressed in Mobile Police uniforms.

His remains had since been deposited at the morgue of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH).

The deployment of soldiers had brought calm to parts of the capital and ensured minimum level of business transaction, especially around old garage area spreading down to Ijigbo. Most shops however still remained locked.
The soldiers, who were deployed to assist the police in containing the violence, moved round in trucks and stopped intermittently to observe developments in some areas before moving on.
Some of them were however stationed at some of the flash points, especially Ijigbo, where the office of the slain former NURTW boss is located.