Persecution: Austin Taye Pedro cries out

Austin Taye Pedro, a senior public servant, researcher, member of cultural and community associations in Nigeria, must count himself lucky to have escaped assassination,

The son of a Second Republic politician and chieftain of defunct Action Group (AG), Chief Alfred Ayoola Pedro, Taye Pedro has a dream to be a lawmaker in Osun State. So he is following his dream by joining forces with members of cultural, political and community groups to campaign for good governance in the state.

His father, the Ile-Ife high chief in his days provided a safe haven for political refugees in his community. The Arubidi of Ile-Ife family compound became home for AG supporters sent out of various compounds and other Yoruba towns due to political victimization.

Chief Pedro, popularly called Baba Peddy of Arubidi by his numerous admirers was a ‘freedom fighter. He worked for the emancipation, and political liberation of the people through education.

But the young Pedro is sad that his vision of representing Ife East State Constituency may not be going smoothly. He is even disgusted by the actions of thugs loyal to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State.

Pedro cries from the heart about his ordeal.

‘’On Tuesday, August 15,  2024 at about 8:30 pm, political thugs carrying planks, cutlasses and knives attacked me  at Mile 12 ,  Lagos’’.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain survived another assassination attempt on May 16, 2023

‘’At about 8:00pm, political thugs numbering about four wielding sophisticated weapons attacked him at the entrance of his 5 Pedro Street Arubidi Ile-ife Osun State. He was rushed to hospital for treatment’

He said it was God who saved him.

The Osun State House of Assembly candidate has more pathetic stories to tell.

‘On July 17, 2023, the attacks persisted.  We were attacked in our 82, Aina Road Agiliti Mile 12 Lagos flat by five political thugs with knives and cutlasses’’.

On 15th June 2021, my wife was attacked by four men with sticks and axes.   My wife was attacked again on 10th January 2017 by three political thugs with sticks and cutlasses. I got a call on my cell phone that I needed to rush back home from the office.

Pedro says he is now in perpetual fear of another attack.