A 59-year-old man from Osun State, Nigeria, Olanrewaju Olatoye, has cried out to all relevant security agencies in the country to save his life and that of his families, after fallen out of favour from a factional leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) saying their lives are under threats.
The 24NEWS reliably gathered that Mr Olatoye was thriving in his business until one of his friends, Mr. Tunde Animashaun, who is deeply engrossed in local politics, co-opted and persuaded him to join the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party in 2012.
According to him, he gained popularity within a short period of time to become the Ward Youth Leader within six years that he joined the party.
Mr. Olatoye told our correspondent that his fortunes took a worrisome dimension when the party leadership changed, and a new chairman was elected, which led to factionalisation within the party.
‘’Things were going well until our political party elected a new party chairman, Mr Ademola Ige in 2018, a choice which did not go well with the young bloods in the party, eventually i pitched my tent with the Tunde Animashaun-faction, who was then the party Publicity Secretary, against that of Ademola Ige, who is an ally of the then Governor on board (Abiola Ajumobi)”he said.
He identified the unhealthy relationship within the party as what led to the loss of then Abiola Ajimobi, the gubernatorial candidate to the opposition political party All Progressives Congress in November 10, 2021.
Mr Olatoye said the development infuriated the faction loyal to the defeated former Governor and thereby resulting to the engagement of a team of mercenaries to attack him and other notable members of his faction.
Olatoye, however, diverted to another source of his persecution due to his divergent opinion to a male/female relationship, to which he claimed to a gay.
He narrated his harrowing experience due to his beliefs in having flares for any man, rather than a female partner
He told our correspondent that sincerely he grew up to see himself as a man in 1990, he had always enjoyed preference for men rather than women when it comes to body feelings, but because an affair among two male is forbidden by the Nigeria Laws,
“I have always kept it a secret, to the extent that I reluctantly agreed to the marriage contracted between me and my wife precisely on December 20th, 2008 so that members of my family will not have an inkling of the fact that I am actually a gay.
“Also, my wife often times noticed my reluctance in making love to her and had always complained bitterly, to which I have always retorted back that my disinterest had been because of having too much on my mind, though not sounding too convincing to her, but had no choice and more importantly, to allow peace to reign.
“It was after my escape that the realisation dawn on me that apart from the intra party struggles, I am also being persecuted for my behavior as a gay.
“I also realised that my Homosexual behavior has also compounded my problem, because if my persecutors can attack me in a broad day light without fear of reprisal or even arrest by law enforcement agents in Nigeria simply because of my difference of opinion, I do not think I stand any chance of survival for my homosexual attitude that is not only condemned by majority of the citizenry in Nigeria, but forbidden by provisions of the Nigerian laws,”he narrated.
He stated further that he got wind of the purported attack on him and manage to escape with his family to a safer place, but not without injury to his right eye caused by a broken part of the windscreen that hit it.
“True to their threat, precisely on March 4, 2022, some suspected thugs bombarded my private residence with dangerous weapons and other deadly instruments to carry out their nefarious activities.
Having earlier been reliably informed of the planned attack, I moved my family into a waiting vehicle, lying low on the mat of the vehicle that was already moving quietly when one of the party leader of the other faction, who was to act as a pointer spotted me and called the attention of the thugs who descended on my vehicle with stones and machetes in order to break the windscreen of the vehicle.
Although, I managed to escape, but not without injury to my right eye caused by a broken part of the windscreen that hit me on the head,”he said.
Olatoye also relayed the series of attempt on his life to our correspondent, particularly the targeted attack on him in Delta State where he escaped by whiskers.
‘’In Delta State, after about three weeks in hiding, I decided to visit a local club house, where I met a God sent to inform me of plans of some assailants, paid to silence me permanently, having shown my photograph to the Manager of the club house, while desperately searching for me.
The experience in Delta State of Nigeria ended my temporary settlement in the Eastern part of Nigeria and was having another plan to move my family to the Northern part of Nigeria for safety,’’Olatoye concluded.
