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| Raheem's torn posters |
The Lagos State Police Command,
yesterday, arrested 24 suspects over the killings of two political supporters and warring over political posters
in the state.
The two persons were killed at the
Orile-Agege area of Lagos State after suspected thugs of the Peoples Democratic
Party(PDP) and All Progressives Congress(APC), clashed over Permanent Voters’ Cards
(PVC) collection.
The corpse of the deceased had been deposited
at a mortuary by the police.
An eyewitness account said that the
clash started around 11:am, when one Niyi Raheem, a member of PDP,
vying for the post of Federal House of Representative seat, went to
Methodist Nursery and Primary School at Tabon Tabo, along Orile road,
to monitor the PVC exercise.
Another witnessed claimed that
for reasons yet unknown, some political hoodlums pounced on Raheem and his
supporters.
Immediately Raheem saw what was happening,
he ordered his supporters to leave the venue
and proceeded to Elere Police Station to lodge a complaint.
Speaking with our correspondent, Raheem
said: “This morning, I and some of my agents and
supporters were at the PVC Collations Centre to
monitor the voter’s card, but some political hoodlums refused to allow my boys inside
the premises.
“As this was going on, about 20 of
the hoodlums pounced on my supporters. They ordered us to leave the venue. Even
some members of the public who came to collect their voter’s card ran away when
they saw what is happening.”
He added that even staff of the Independent
National Electoral Commission(INEC) staff, at the venue did not help
matters. Raheem said that while he was trying to find out the reason for asking
to leave, he suddenly saw people, armed to teeth, coming to attack him.
His words: “The Hoodlums were armed guns,
cutlass, knives and broken bottles. They attacked my supporters and even
innocent members of the public were not spare. I and my supporters were still
at the Elere Police Station, where we went to report the incident, when I
received a call that the hoodlums had regrouped and attacked my hotel. They destroyed
my banner and torn some of my posters in the street.”
He noted that the Divisional Police
Officer(DPO), Elere Police Station and anti-riot policemen followed him the
centre. He said he was shocked to see some of the thugs hurling stones and
broken bottles at the policemen.
Police spokesman, Kenneth Nwosu confirmed the
attack, adding that the police received a
phone call from one Honourable Raheem Oyeniyi that hoodlums
suspected to be loyal to a rival party were removing his campaign materials in
front of his hotel, Swiss Orange Hotel located at No 40 Orile Agege Rd on
yesterday(today).
Nwosu added: “A team of Policemen from Elere
Division was dispatched to the scene. On arrival, a mob wielding cutlasses,
axes and bottles was seen. A lifeless body of a male was also seen lying on the
floor in a pool of blood. A total of 24 suspects have so far been arrested and
are in custody, undergoing interrogation as investigations. Four cutlasses and
one axe were recovered from the scene. Normalcy has been restored in the area
through aggressive patrol and discreet surveillance.”
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