By John Dike, Osogbo
Western embassies have reportedly commenced internal assessments into the spate of political violence in Osun State, with investigations focusing on verifying allegations surrounding recent killings, identifying those responsible and considering possible sanctions, including visa restrictions, against individuals found culpable.
The reported diplomatic interest follows fresh violence in Ikire, where an APC member was alleged to have been involved in a fatal attack, further raising concerns ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
According to information made available by the Osun Civil Society Coalition, several petitions have been submitted to the embassies of Western nations detailing alleged attacks targeting members of the Accord Party.
The coalition questioned why, in its assessment, victims of the recent wave of political violence have predominantly been members of the Accord, despite the crisis spanning about two months.
The coalition also alleged that branded vehicles conveying armed political thugs linked to the opposition had been openly filmed moving through communities while shooting sporadically. It further claimed that an APC stalwart was captured in a video chanting “tabon, tabon” during one of the incidents.
In one of its petitions, the coalition recalled the killing of APC member Remi Abbas during the controversial takeover of local government secretariats by APC supporters. It argued that while police investigations focused on Abbas’ death, six alleged killings of PDP/Accord members during the same episode received little or no investigative attention.
The coalition further maintained that the pattern of violence in 2026 differs from that of 2022, contending that although both APC and PDP supporters suffered casualties during the earlier political crisis,
investigations were allegedly concentrated on cases involving APC members, while attacks on PDP/Accord supporters were not pursued with similar vigour.
Urging the international community to pay closer attention to developments in Osun State,
The coalition called on Western governments to impose sanctions and visa restrictions where necessary. It also submitted the names and party affiliations of Accord members allegedly killed or injured over the past two months, describing the situation as a serious threat to the conduct of next month’s governorship election.
A diplomatic source in Abuja disclosed that recent visits by Austrian and British delegations heightened international interest in the situation, drawing attention from the European Union Delegation to Nigeria as well as the political affairs department of the United States Department of State.
According to the source, Governor Ademola Adeleke’s recent call for visa bans and economic sanctions against certain serving federal officials, including Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Gboyega Oyetola and some members of the National Assembly, has further intensified international scrutiny of the political violence in the state.
“I can tell you the Osun matter is generating a flurry of activities across the Western embassies.
The repeated nature of the violence despite assurances by security chiefs, alongside allegations of collaboration between sponsors and some elements within the security agencies, has prompted serious attention across the embassies,” the diplomatic source said.
