‘I was asked to implicate Fayemi’s aide’

A witness in the ongoing murder case of former chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ekiti State, Chief Omolafe Aderiye, yesterday told the Ekiti High Court that he was tortured by some officials of the government of Governor Ayo Fayose to implicate the accused persons and a security aide to former Governor Kayode Fayemi, Mr. Adedeji Adesokan, aka Jarule.

The witness, Gbolahan Okeowo, who is also the Personal Assistant to the late Aderiye, Gbolahan Okeowo, in an affidavit he deposed to at the Akure Division of the Federal High Court, claimed that he had deposed to an earlier affidavit which implicated the accused persons and Adesokan.

Those standing trial in the murder case are Adebayo Aderiye, Adeniyi Adedipe, Sola Durodola, Kayode Ajayi, Oso Farotimi, Sola Adenijo and Rotimi Olanbiwonnu.

Aderiye was murdered on September 25, by yet-to-be identified killers.

Okeowo had on Monday in his evidence, exonerated all the seven accused persons during his cross-examination by all the defence counsel.

But the state government, through the Special Assistant to the governor on Public Communication and New Media, Lere Olayinka, denied Okeowo's claim, urging the general public to ignore him.

Okeowo said: "I state categorically that persons standing trial for the murder of Chief Aderiye in Charge No: HAD/12C/2014: The State Adebayo Aderiye and 6 Ors, were not involved and neither did they participate in the murder of Chief Aderiye on the 25th day of September, 2014.