Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Majority Leader of Ogun State House of Assembly, Yinka Mafe, has denied having any link with four suspected cultists and murder suspects being held by men of Zonal Intervention Squad (ZIS) in Obada Oko, Abeokuta.
The lawmaker, who stated this in a statement, on Friday, in Abeokuta, said the newspaper reports of his involvement in murder case shocked him, adding that at no point he was invited by the police for questioning.
While challenging the police to produce the four suspects they claimed to have arrested and charge them to court, Mafe, called on the Inspector General of Police to take over the case for proper investigation.
He, however, alleged that a member of the House of Representatives, was behind the plan to muscle him and other members of All Progressives Congress(APC) in Remo zone of the state because of his governorship ambition.
The plan, the lawmaker further alleged, was being orchestrated with the help of the top echelon of Nigeria Police Zonal Command, Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, to parade fake persons in the name of the suspects.
Mafe explained that the murder he alleged to have sponsored occurred in Sagamu about seven years ago during a cult clash, adding that his party, APC, has since ensured peace in the area.
“I was very shocked to read about the report because as an honourable man and the Majority Leader of Ogun State House of Assembly, I do not have a business sponsoring cultists especially at this moment when I have nothing to gain in sponsoring them.
“I was aware of the person that was reportedly killed, he was killed about seven year ago and it is in the public domain that he was killed during an infighting between cult groups and both sides recorded casualties, he was one of them.
“We have been working to have peace in Sagamu and that is what we are enjoying today and it saddens my heart that a particular governorship aspirant is bringing the name of Sagamu and Remoland in the news for bad reasons because we’ve worked on these boys, counselled them and reorientated them and we are enjoying peace in Sagamu”.
He, however, challenged the police to charge him to court where he would have opportunities to defend himself instead of dropping his name in the media for political reasons.