A political aspirant, Oluwatosin Onamade, has been brutally murdered in the Ijede area of Ikorodu, Lagos State. Gunmen attacked him at his home on Saturday night, shooting at him before using machetes when the bullets did not immediately penetrate his body.
Onamade, a chairmanship aspirant for Ijede Local Council Development Area (LCDA) under the All Progressives Congress (APC), had reportedly survived previous assassination attempts. His family believes his murder was politically motivated.
Gunmen Ambush and Kill Onamade
The attack happened around 9 p.m. on Saturday, according to Onamade’s younger brother, Oluwafemi. He described how two gunmen, dressed in black, ambushed his brother outside his house on Oluwatosin Onamade Street.
“They shot at him. When the bullets did not penetrate in time, they used machetes on his head and face,” Femi said, struggling to contain his grief.
Onamade’s aide, who was with him at the time, fled as soon as the gunmen opened fire. “His aide said he could not wait when he heard gunshots,” Femi added.
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Family Suspects Political Assassination
Femi strongly believes his brother’s political ambitions made him a target. “They know he had an upper hand and many followers,” he said.
This was not the first time Onamade had been attacked. In 2021, he narrowly escaped death when assailants stormed his home, killing one of his staff members, Ifeanyi Godfrey. The attackers shot and butchered Godfrey before dumping his body in a coffin at the funeral home where he worked.
Speaking about that incident in an interview with The PUNCH in 2021, Onamade had recounted how gunmen targeted him during an APC leadership meeting.
“They were shouting, ‘This man is escaping again; we are going to find him and kill him,’” he had said at the time.
His brother, Femi, had also been attacked during that assault. “They hacked my brother with a machete. They even wanted to cut his hand off,” Onamade had revealed.
Despite those attacks, no convictions have been made. “Some of the culprits are still in prison, but judgment has not been made yet,” Femi said about the 2021 incident.
Friend Calls for Justice
A close friend of Onamade, who wished to remain anonymous, said his killers had finally succeeded after multiple failed attempts.
The friend said, “They have finally taken him out. He was a strong contender in the chairmanship race. Situations like this have been rampant in Ijede and call for serious attention from authorities.”
The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the murder and launched an investigation. The State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, stated, “Investigation has commenced into the incident.”