No fewer than two persons belonging to Accord party in Oyo state were killed, this Sunday, March 1, as alleged suspected All Progressive Congress thugs opened fire on a peaceful rally of the Accord party House of Assembly and House of Representatives candidates, Ademola Ige and Gbenga Adewusi at Odinjo-Ode-Ige, Iyana Modina Area of Ibadan South-East Local Govt.
The thugs were said to have carried guns and other dangerous weapons when they stormed the campaign rally and opened fired on supporters and killed two of them on the spot.
15 people sustained lethal gunshot injuries, while an unspecified number left with varying degrees of injuries.
A team from SARS who came to the rescue arrested three of the suspected APC thugs with pump actions guns, while other members of the gang fled.
Reacting to the attack, Director General of Senator Rasheed Ladoja Campaign organisation Adeolu Adeleke said the party was shocked that the incumbent could unleash agents of death on “our peace-loving supporters and snuff life out of them without any provocation.”
Mr. Adeleke said that this latest attack in the series of unprovoked “onslaughts on our party leaders and supporters must not be swept under the carpet.” adding that the party will do everything within its power to get justice if the wheel of justice grinds to a halt
While reacting, APC publicity secretary Wale Shadare denied involvement of APC supporters in the fracas.
“Neither members nor supporters of our party (APC) were involved in the fracas which was recorded at Odinjo area of Ibadan today. We had it from impeccable sources that some thugs in the campaign team of one Gbenga Adewusi aka Arole, who is the Accord Party candidate for Ibadan North East/South East federal constituency engage some street urchins in supremacy battle and this resulted in a free-for-all. We recall that the same Arole was fingered in an unrest at Aremo/Ode Aje recently shortly after his defection to his new party from the PDP when he led political thugs to attack some residents and members of our party in what a source close to him said was to create an awareness of his arrival in Accord Party. ” Mr. Shadare had said.
