2 dead, many injured as APC, PDP supporters clash in Osun

Two people have been reported killed and many others injured from a clash between supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ikire, Osun State.

At the centre of the clash which occurred on Tuesday were Amidu Tadese, the APC senatorial candidate in Osun West District and his PDP rival, Lere Oyewumi.

Both candidates were reported to have fixed their campaign rallies for Ikire on the same day.

Mr Tadese said Mr Oyewumi led a band of thugs to attack the gathering of his own supporters when they were about to start their rally.

“Our supporters had already erected canopy and assembled at Ward 9, Ikire before the incident occured. We were about to start the meeting when we saw the hoodlums shooting sporadically shortly after someone offered the opening prayers at the meeting,” he said.

“They were more than 30 in number led by Akogun Lere Oyewumi, the PDP Osun West Senatorial Candidate.

“They were shooting from Naira and Kobo area and before we knew it, they were already at the venue attacking people and destroying property, including our vehicles and commercial minibuses and tricycles,” he added.

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But Mr Oyewumi said it was the APC members that attacked and killed two of his supporters.

“The APC thug attacked our members while coming from our rally in the night and they have killed two people now while some of our members are receiving treatment in a hospital presently,” he said.

“They started attacking us as we were running for the safety of our lives.”

Yemisi Opalola, the police spokesperson in the state, confirmed the incident.

Mrs Opalola said one person was confirmed dead while some others were receiving treatment in the hospital.

“There was a fracas between the two parties yesterday and when the police intervened, we settled the crisis amicably for the two parties.

“It was later in the night that they attacked each other again that led to the death of one person and some were injured. The injured have been taken to the hospital,” she said.

“When we interrogated one of the injured victims, he said five people were brought to the hospital and only two of them were seen this morning, so he didn’t know the whereabouts of the remaining three people.”

The police spokesperson said normalcy has been restored in the area in Ikire.

“Normalcy has been restored in the area, people are now going on with their businesses.”

Osun State was run for 12 years by the APC from 2010, until the PDP won the last governorship election in the state on 16 July.

Since the election, many cases of political violence involving the two parties have been reported.

The governorship election petition tribunal will on Friday deliver judgement on a petition filed by the APC against the return of Governor Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the election.

(Premium Times)/Platinum