OSOGBO — Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has constituted a 10-member committee to verify victims of election-related violence and oversee the disbursement of the state government’s N500 million Election Violence Victims Relief Endowment Fund.
The committee, announced on Monday, is chaired by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Olumide Egbedun, while the Executive Secretary of the Osun Investment Promotion Agency, Sola Sonibare, will serve as secretary.
According to a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the committee will receive petitions, examine claims and supporting evidence, determine eligible beneficiaries and recommend appropriate relief under guidelines approved by the state government.
Its membership includes representatives of civil society organisations, the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services, alongside officials from the Ministries of Information and Justice and other government representatives.
The government urged people affected by election-related violence to submit accurate information and relevant evidence to support their claims.
It also promised that the N500 million fund would be administered transparently and fairly, with the money reserved for verified victims.
The intervention follows Adeleke’s announcement of the relief fund after his victory in the August 15 governorship election. While receiving his Certificate of Return on August 19, the governor said the electoral process had left some residents injured, displaced or bereaved, with property destroyed and livelihoods disrupted.
Adeleke said the fund was intended as a humanitarian intervention rather than a political reward and pledged that eligible victims would not be discriminated against because of political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, gender or social status.
The governor’s decision comes against a backdrop of months of political tension and violence in Osun ahead of the poll.
Kimpact Development Initiative reported 73 election-related violent incidents resulting in 29 deaths in the build-up to the August 15 election, while identifying 12 local government areas as high-risk. Amnesty International also warned of escalating violence in several communities, including Osogbo, Ede, Ife, Oriade, Ilobu and Ikire.
Among incidents that heightened concerns was the June killing of 14-year-old Ezekiel Olapade in Ilobu, Irepodun Local Government Area. Police confirmed the teenager’s death, while allegations linking political actors to the killing remained contested.
Another politically sensitive killing was reported in Ikire in May, where police confirmed that a man was shot dead. Political parties traded accusations over the incident, but responsibility was not established.
The security concerns did not disappear after the election. On Monday, reports emerged of shooting at the Naira and Kobo Garage in Ikire amid allegations that five people had been killed during a dispute over control of the motor park.
Police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi confirmed the shooting but said officers were still gathering information and had not established the reported death toll.
The latest incident adds urgency to the government’s relief initiative while highlighting the wider security challenge facing Osun after the election.
INEC declared Adeleke winner of the August 15 poll with 511,067 votes against APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji’s 444,815. Adeleke won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured 11.
With the new committee expected to begin receiving petitions, attention will now shift to how quickly victims are identified, how claims are verified and whether the relief fund reaches those most affected by the violence.
