There has been much speculation about the infamous 2005 confrontation between then-Governor Gbenga Daniel and Senator Ibikunle Amosun. As someone who was not only present but directly in the line of fire, I feel a responsibility to set the record straight. The narrative that casts Amosun as the aggressor is false. The culprit that day was Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
At the time, I was one of two heads of the DSS security teams detailed to protect Governor Daniel. That day, it was my team’s shift.
To understand the tension, you must recall the context. The crisis stemmed from Governor Daniel’s refusal to honour an agreement made in 2003. He and Amosun were very good friends, and the understanding was that Daniel would serve only one term and then support Amosun to succeed him. Amosun, alongside stalwarts like Babá Sule Onabiyi in Ifọ and Sarafa Tunji Isola in Abeokuta, had been instrumental in delivering Ogun Central for Daniel. Amosun himself had won the Ogun Central Senatorial seat, defeating the AD’s Dr. Okunronmu. In the East, the late Jubril Martins Kuye led the charge. The truth is, OGD had no political structure of his own; he rode to power on the backs of established political actors.
But power is sweet. Once he tasted it, he reneged on the deal and insisted on running for a second term. This betrayal angered Amosun, who then decided to challenge Daniel in the 2007 election.
On the morning of the incident, Amosun held a rally with his supporters at Ake Arcade in Abeokuta. A massive crowd was moving toward the venue, and a significant portion naturally flowed past the main road in front of the Government House.
This visibly discomforted Governor Daniel. He placed a call to the Commissioner of Police, demanding the road be blocked. The Police Commissioner counseled against it, wisely noting that the crowd was not being violent or abusive. He also warned that blocking such a major artery would cause chaos.
Not satisfied with this professional advice, Daniel gave the order: “Guys, let’s go.” The convoy was activated with all sirens blaring. Instead of heading towards his office at Okemosan, the ADC radioed that we should move towards Ake—a route that had no logical link to the Governor’s office and directly towards the rally.
We activated every siren, creating a deafening noise, and followed the Amosun crowd. The tension was palpable. The Chief Security Officer (CSO) promptly alerted the Ogun DSS Headquarters that the Governor was precipitating a crisis.
By the time we reached Oke-Itoku, we saw a large crowd surging back towards us. They were led by Amosun himself (without his cap), with his supporters waving charms and ayẹta (anti-bullet charms) over his head. They charged towards our convoy, singing defiant songs.
As the Security Team Leader, I was on the ground, bodily covering the Governor’s car. I mobilized my automatic pistol and moved forward to confront the advancing crowd.
I issued a direct warning: “Mr. Ibikunle Amosun, stop there! Should you move an inch further, I will open fire and kill you.”
We were face to face. He looked at me mockingly, saying “Hẹn… hẹn…” I began releasing warning shots into the air.
When they remained adamant, I called for the mini-Uzi automatic submachine gun from one of my team members. I mobilized it, ready to switch to rapid fire if they charged.
Throughout this, the press crew had vanished. Governor Daniel’s own private bodyguards were paralyzed with fear, holed up in their vehicle, waiting for the confrontation to escalate so they could flee. Talo njẹ ọmọ aperin níwájú ọmọ apaayan! (Who will eat the elephant’s child in front of the antelope’s child?)
My CSO began pleading with me: “Alli, please hold your fire! Don’t shoot!”
At that moment, the Police Mobile Force team began shooting into the air, and massive tear gas was released. The crowd finally retreated, and Amosun moved away.
As we started to move, people from houses along the road began throwing stones. We shot in the directions the stones were coming from. When we got to the front of St. Peter’s Church in Ake, we found the road lined with charms placed by Amosun’s supporters, daring us to cross and die.
We were forced to detour through Itoku—a journey reminiscent of the Israelites’ wanderings—before finally returning to the Government House at Oke Igbein.
Here is the most shocking part: Where was the Governor during all of this?
When the firing subsided, I peered into his official car. He was not there. I even checked the boot. He was nowhere to be found. We later discovered that in the commotion as we were rushing to our vehicles, he had surreptitiously slipped away. Only his ADC and police orderly knew he had run back into the Government House.
His objective was clear: to have some of us in the security detail killed or wounded by Amosun’s men. He planned to use that as political capital to gain public sympathy and clout.
The final insult came later. My office instructed me to replace the bullets I had expended to protect my own life from a surging, charmed-up mob. I was severely vexed. Were the bullets more valuable than my life?
I immediately wrote and submitted my resignation letter. They called me in, and after their threats failed, they resorted to pleading. They promised me a promotion, invited my wife, and even asked for my international passport to prevent me from travelling. I remained adamant and left the country. That closed the chapter.
Gbenga Daniel ensured this truth never came out. He bribed the press crew with a huge sum of cash—a practice known as “kill press,” where media houses were paid to suppress uncomfortable news. This was the era of print and electronic media; social media was in its infancy with Facebook, which I only joined in 2006 while in Pretoria.
This is my truth. I will continue to share my experiences from my time as an intelligence officer. There is so much the public deserves to know.
I remain, Alli Sulaiman Abiodun (ASA)
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