There was tension at the palace of Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Oyetunji on Wednesday when some suspected hoodlums reportedly caused stir, shooting sporadically during Governor Ademola Adeleke’s thank you visit to the monarch.

The incident which precipitated tension among the traders and other shops owners around the palace located at Oja Oba, occured when Adeleke visited Oba Oyetunji shortly after receiving his Certificate of Return from the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Osogbo.

Though Adeleke and his convoy were not targeted by the gunmen, his security aides had to fire several gunshots to disperse the warring group of hoodlums in order to pave the way for the governor out of the palace.

Sources at the palace hinted that the hoodlums had laid siege around the area in an unmarked Toyota Sienna vehicle when the governor’s convoy entered the palace.

Though no one could ascertained what led to heated arguments between the hoodlums before the shooting incident, a trader, simply identified as Azeez Makanjuola, explained shortly after Adeleke and his entourage entered the palace, deafening sounds of gunshots rented the air, forcing everyone to scamper to safety.

He stated: The guys were shooting from inside the main gate while the governor security teams responded from inside the palace. The shooting was intense for almost three minutes before the hoodlums ran away with their vehicle and the Governor’s convoy later exited the palace”, the source said.

Confirming the attack, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment Kolapo Alimi said the suspected gunmen were hoodlums.

He stated: “It is true there was gunshots when we were exiting the palace and the governor security team had to go and engage them. But the circumstances that led to the shooting in the first place we do not know.

We only heard that there was an altercation between some groups outside the palace and we don’t know what caused it or which groups were involved”, Alimi remarked.