James Sowole in Akure
No fewer than five persons were injured yesterday as supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clashed in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
During the clash, which started late in the evening, at Obanla/Isola junctions in the state capital, guns, cutlasses and clubs were freely used by suspected thugs.
When the clash broke out, persons at relaxation joints around Obanla, which is a stronghold of the PDP, ran helter-skelter for their lives.
Sequel to the clash, the major Adesida/Oyemekun Road was deserted for hours by motorists and early churchgoers, to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
During the clash, two persons, were shot while others sustained machete cut injuries.
When the clash started, policemen from the ‘A’ Division, which is a few meters from the scene of the fight, were mobilised to disperse the hoodlums.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ondo State Command, Mr. Tee-Leo Ikoro, confirmed the incident.
He said the command mobilised men to the place last night to restore normalcy in the area.
Expectedly, the two rival political parties have been exchanging verbal attacks on the incident and a spate of violence on the forthcoming election.
The spokesperson for the Akeredolu/Ayedatiwa Campaign Organisation, Mr. Olatunde Olabode, accused the PDP of launching unprovoked attacks on the APC and anybody that adorn the party’s cap or best.
Olabode in a statement alleged that PDP thugs also attacked even taxi drivers that paste Akeredolu’s posters on their vehicles.
He said: “The Akeredolu/Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation strongly condemns the unabated attack on supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by thugs loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akure, the state capital.
“This latest recourse to attack, thuggery and wanton violence by the PDP is the height of insensitivity, irresponsibility and indecency. It is obviously provocative.”
But in a swift reaction, the spokesperson of Eyitayo Jegede Campaign Organisation, Mr. Gbenga Akinmoyo, alleged that APC thugs turned Akure to the city of gunfire.
Akinmoyo alleged that the PDP supporters were attacked in their homes with gunfire raging across the city, including Bye-pass, Isolo, Obanla, Okeijebu all the way to Agbogbo and the expressway.
He claimed: “The thugs who got to the scene around 7.30 p.m were fully armed with sophisticated ammunition and rained gunshots sporadically at the office complex where many people were reported to have sustained different degrees of injuries. They are now receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
“It was also reported that these contracted APC thugs are now in towns in their hundreds hunting for whoever that is putting on Eyitayo’s cap and other souvenirs with Jegede’s inscription to violently attack such.”
