24th January, 2015
Eromosele Ebhomele
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Alimosho, Lagos, Nigeria as well as some residents of the area spent the entire Saturday counting their losses after a mayhem on Friday that resulted in several injuries and destruction of properties.
Members of the party said they could not believe that such level of violence could be perpetrated by members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, days after the party’s presidential candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the candidate of the APC in the forthcoming elections, Muhammadu Buhari, signed a pact on non-violence ahead of the elections.
Five residents sustained grievous injuries while seven cars belonging to members of the APC as well as other residents, not politicians were vandalised allegedly by the thugs, who the APC claimed were led by top members of the PDP including former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, and Segun Adewale, a senatorial candidate on the platform of the PDP in the forthcoming election.
Taiwo John, Mrs. Sola Sokunle, Uzamat Akinbile Yussuf, Mrs. Bukola Akindele and one Mama Kampala (popularly called so because she deals of tye and dye) were all rushed to the hospital after some of them were allegedly shot at while they ran for their lives.
Narrating how the incident happened at a press conference on Saturday, Bisi Yusuf, the representative of Alimosho Constituency 1 at the Lagos State House of Assembly, alleged that the thugs targeted candidates of the APC.
He said the APC team campaigning for Akinwunmi Ambode, the party’s governorship candidate in the February election, were returning from a series of meetings with private sector participants and upon getting to Mosan-Okunola area of Alimosho, they met a convoy of the PDP.
Though they were not on the same lane, he said the APC team decided to park and allow the PDP pass through the opposite lane.
Suddenly, he said, gun wielding men alighted from the PDP convoy and opened on the APC members, beating people on sight and looting shops around.
“In the process, they destroyed vehicles belonging to people who are not even politicians and who were just passing by. A pastor who had his kids in his car was matcheted and his car destroyed.
“My vehicle was riddled with bullets. If I was in the vehicle, I would have been a dead man by now,” he said expressing surprise that the incident happened in the presence of policemen who were with the PDP.
“Only God knows how many of those in the hospital would survive. One woman who was just passing had her two legs shattered with bullets. Another one was shot in the neck while another one had injury on both legs,” Yusuf added.
The lawmaker listed the vandalised vehicles belonging to members of the APC and other residents of the area to include: a branded Toyota Hiace with registration number KTU 408 XM; an Infiti SUV QX4 with registration number: APP 233 CN; a Lexus GX 470 with registration number LND 275 DG; a Ford Explorer with registration number: FXJ 968 CK.
Others are a Suzuki Vitra with registration number JJJ 543 BJ; a Toyota Forerunner with registration number RQ 743 KJA; a Toyota Camry 2E with registration number KSF 965 AE and an Opel Wagon which had just being procured and had not been registered.
He said the action of the PDP in Alimosho on Friday was as disheartening as it was shameful and that it had further depleted the reputation of the PDP.
He accused the PDP of picking Alimosho for violence because members of the PDP are scared of the population of the area and therefore “think that once they destroy Alimosho, they can destroy Lagos.”
While warning against a repeat, he urged the security agencies in the state to brace up and avoid a situation where people would be forced to defend themselves adding that the APC had conducted itself peacefully in the state in line with the signed agreement.
“They have put surveillance on me, Yayi (Solomon Olamilekan) and Adebanjo. If anything happens to any of us, you should ask Obanikoro and the others,” he said adding that he incidented the case with the police few minutes after it happened on Friday.
“If you know you are popular, you don’t need to carry guns about. You should campaign based on issues and what you can deliver.
Others who corrobrated Yusuf include Dele Ayinde, the Executive Secretary of Ayobo-Ipaja Local Council Development Area, who added that the PDP had with them policemen from Shasa area of Lagos.
In his testimony, leader of the Ambode campaign team, Alhaji Yusuf Olashehu, the team was being conveyed by a vehicle belonging to Lagbus as well as 40 other vehicles when the incident happened.
“A woman who was coming from a school where she went to pick her kids was matcheted,” he said asking how the PDP expected to get the peoples votes if these same people are being attacked.
When journalists visited Mrs. Bukola Akindele at a hospital (name withheld), she said she was not a member of any party but was within an estate when she had gun shot sounds and people started running for their lives.
“All I know that I suddenly saw myself on the ground with my two legs dripping with blood. My knee bones were outside,” she said.
Calls to Mr. Gani Taofeek on Saturday were not answered, but P.M. NEWS understands that the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, on Saturday ordered that political thugs be arrested and made to face the law henceforth.
“There have been reports of untoward activities in political campaigns and meetings. It is particularly worrisome that of recent, thugs and miscreants have been employed by some political parties to disrupt political campaigns of their opponents.
“In some instances, stones and missiles have been hauled at the nation’s highly respected citizens and leaders.
“Abusive and demeaning words, and in some instances, offensive vituperations bordering on the macabre have been hauled at opponents.
“We have received disturbing reports of the pulling down and defacing of campaign posters.
“Such acts contravene Section 227 of the 1999 Constitution as amended and sections 94 and 94 of the Electoral Act. Besides, they grossly negate sections 5 to 8 of the Public Order Act and Article 3 of the Political Parties Code of Conduct agreed to and adopted by all political parties,” he said.