Tragedy struck in the Ijede area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, as gunmen brutally assassinated Oluwatosin Onamade, an All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant for the chairmanship position of Ijede Local Council Development Area (LCDA). Onamade was hacked to death in front of his house on Saturday night, a chilling act that has sent shockwaves through the political landscape.
According to eyewitnesses and family sources, the assailants, clad in black, ambushed Onamade around 9 p.m. His brother, Oluwafemi Onamade, who narrowly survived a similar attack in 2021, recounted the gruesome details.
> “They were two gunmen, dressed in black. No one could recognize them. His aide fled as soon as he heard gunshots. They shot him, but when the bullets did not penetrate immediately, they resorted to machetes, hacking his head and face in front of his house,” Femi revealed in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Metro.
The street where the attack occurred is named after the deceased—Oluwatosin Onamade Street—a grim reminder of the stature he held in the community.
Onamade’s murder comes after a failed assassination attempt in 2021, which he had previously spoken about in an interview with The PUNCH. He had detailed how his campaign banners were destroyed, his party secretariat vandalized, and his staff member, Ifeanyi Godfrey, gruesomely killed.
> “They butchered him, shot him in the head, and threw his body into an empty coffin at the funeral home where he worked,” the late Onamade had recalled in the 2021 interview.
During that attack, gunmen also attempted to kill Onamade himself, but he narrowly escaped. His brother, Femi, was severely wounded while trying to fend off the assailants.
“They came back after leaving, and when they saw me, they shouted, ‘So, he was inside all along!’ They forced their way in and began hacking my brother with a machete. They even attempted to cut off his hand,” Onamade had revealed in 2021.
Despite arrests made in connection with the 2021 attack, some suspects remained in prison without a final judgment, and now, the worst fears of his supporters have come true.
Femi Onamade strongly believes his brother was murdered due to his growing political influence in the Ijede LCDA chairmanship race.
> “They knew he had the upper hand and many followers,” Femi alleged.
A close friend of the deceased, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed frustration, stating that Onamade had survived multiple assassination attempts, but his enemies had finally succeeded.
> “The PUNCH did a story in 2021 about one of the many attacks he survived, including when his worker was killed. Now, they have finally taken him out,” the friend lamented, calling on authorities to ensure justice.
So far, the APC at both the local and state levels has not issued any statement regarding the killing. The silence has fueled speculations of internal political conflicts and possible complicity in Onamade’s assassination.
However, the Lagos State Police Command has confirmed that investigations are underway. State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said in a statement:
> “Investigation has commenced into the incident.”
Onamade’s murder adds to the growing list of political violence cases in Nigeria, where ambition and power struggles often lead to deadly rivalries. Ijede, in particular, has witnessed several politically motivated attacks, raising concerns over the safety of aspirants and the credibility of elections in the area.
With suspicions of a politically motivated hit, pressure is mounting on security agencies to unravel the masterminds behind the killing and bring them to justice.
As the community mourns the loss of a prominent figure, one question remains unanswered—who ordered the hit on Oluwatosin Onamade, and will they ever face justice?
PIONEER NEWS 