Pandemonium in Ife as suspected thugs attack APC supporters
…Party secretariats raced
By Jeleel Olawale
There was palpable fear in Ile-Ife on Monday evening when suspected supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party attacked people to be loyalists of the All Progressives Congress at Itakogun area of Okerewe Ward II, in Ife-East Local Government Area.
According to an eyewitness, members of the PDP were having their political rally along Itakogun where the incident occurred and a woman who is a member of the party allegedly pointed at some APC supporters who were sited at a particular place in the area known to be their flash point were attacked.
He said a woman identified as Mrs Bola was first to destroy APC banners in the area which led to the fraca.
A victim of the attack, Mr Salam Mustapha said; “I was playing at the “Tamac” since morning when I just heard information that members of the PDP had vowed to attack whoever that wore cap bearing APC logo henceforth. I then put off my cap and kept it somewhere.
“Around 5:00 pm, the PDP members were holding a rally along Omisore area in Ile-Ife and I was about to leave my mother’s shop and I heard them shouting APC thief among other imprinted names. I was going peaceful together with another person.
“What I could discover is that a woman allegedly destroyed Mr Adejobi Adeyinka (ESOH), the APC House of Assembly candidate’s billboards in Okerewe junction. Some boys had their carnival yesterday and they were just having their get-together today and the place is known as APC ‘Tamac”.
He added: “these people went to them to asking them politely to stop destroying the banners and that was how the fraca started. The PDP members immediately went to invite some suspected cult members who brought dangerous weapons and started attacking people in the area.
“Many people sustained various degrees of injury. I was wounded in the hands. They later proceeded to the APC party secretariats both in Ife Central and East destroying properties found in the secretariats. I even heard that one Hausa man who wore APC cap was beaten to comma”, Mustapha stated.
Reacting, a member of the PDP who preferred anonymity said the attack was caused by members of the APC who allegedly attacked an innocent woman identified as Mrs Bola when members of the party were holding peaceful rally along Omisore, Itakogun area where the incident occurred.
He said members of APC were the ones who first attacked members of the PDP in the area. He described the attack as barbaric and senseless which should be condemned by all right-thinking man. He called on the law enforcement agencies to investigate the attack and make perpetrators to face music of the law.
