Hoodlums suspected to be supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday unleashed mayhem on residents of Osi, in the Ekiti Local Government Area and Ilorin metropolis of Kwara State.
They were protesting against the victory of the incumbent governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, in Saturday’s governorship election.
Ahmed is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress. He contested against the candidate of the PDP, Senator Simeon Ajibola, and his Labour Party counterpart, Dr. Mike Omotosho.
The protesters were said to have invaded the palace of Oba of Osi, Ibrahim Arowobeku II, and vandalised his car. They reportedly vandalised two others cars in the community.
A resident of Osi, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told one of our correspondents on the telephone that the protest broke out after the APC won in the Ekiti LGA, the home town of Ajibola, the PDP candidate
He said, “The protest started around 11am. After destroying two cars in the community, the protesters stormed the palace and destroyed the king’s car. They fled when the police intervened.”
Also in Ilorin, some youths from Niger and Ikokoro streets, as well as Taiwo Isale area, who were armed with weapons, including guns and knives, shot sporadically and harassed residents and passersby.
The hoodlums were said to have engaged security operatives who were drafted to restore normalcy in a gun duel.
An eyewitness, who declined giving his name, said many people sustained injuries as they scampered for safety while the shooting lasted.
A witness, Mr. jide Babatunde, said pandemonium broke out in the areas as a result of the result of the Saturday elections.
He said, “Everybody ran helter-skelter. The shooters were inside three cars moving towards Taiwo from Niger Road. I heard them condemning the results. Suddenly, they started shooting at a security team in a van. The operatives over-powered them and some of them were arrested.”
The Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the violent protests.
He said eight suspects had been arrested for the breach to public peace.
According to the PPRO, the arrested suspects will be prosecuted after thorough investigations of the incidents.
He stated that no life was lost in the disturbances, adding that the police had restored normalcy to the troubled areas.
Okesanmi said, “I am aware that some hoodlums engaged in a violent protest in Osi, but I have not been briefed on the extent of damage in the area.
“Similarly, some suspected miscreants engaged a combined security team in gun duel, but no casualty was recorded. Eight suspects have been arrested and we are on the trail of other fleeing members.
“Weapons such as guns, knives were recovered from them. Meanwhile, normalcy has been restored to the two troubled areas by our men.”
No comments:
Post a Comment