Society Gists

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has said the state government will set up a panel to probe the cause of the sudden death of the former governor of the state, Senator Isiaka Adeleke.

This was contained in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Sunday by the media aide to the governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon.

The governor described Adeleke, a member of the Senate until his death, as a man of peace, who he said defected from the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the August 2014 governorship poll in the state because he could not stand violence.

The governor said the administration had planned a befitting state burial for the late politician, lamenting that this was scuttled by some persons “crying more than the bereaved”, who unleashed terror on dignitaries, who came to honour the soul of the departed.

The statement added, “Senator Adeleke was a man of peace. He preached peace and lived it through his life. He left the Peoples Democratic Party because he could not stand violence. This was after he was beaten up by some leaders of the PDP during a meeting in a hotel in Osogbo.

“It is a profound irony and most unfortunate therefore that a few disgruntled elements, purporting to protest his death, desecrated his funeral with violence and attacks on innocent persons. They dishonoured him and did his memory a great disservice by keeping his friends, political associates and well-wishers away from his burial.

“The best we could do in the circumstance was to declare three days of mourning throughout the state and fly national, state and our party’s flags at half-mast in his honour.

“The Osun State Government, using the instrumentality of the law, is setting up an inquest to unravel the circumstances of this unfortunate and sad incident in order to put the record straight on his death.”