No fewer than four persons, including a businessman, Chief Bode Olayinka, were injured and goods worth millions of naira were destroyed at Efon Alaaye, Efon Local Government Area of Ekiti State when a group of hoodlums unleashed violence on some All Progressives Congress chieftains in the area.
Sources alleged that the attack was connected with the forthcoming local government elections billed to hold in December across the local government areas and local council development areas in the state.
One of the victims, Mr Olaitan Olayinka, alleged that the assailants, numbering about 20, attacked them with cutlasses, Dane guns and other weapons in front of his family house where he was relaxing on Monday evening.
Olayinka, who had plasters on his forehead, on Thursday, narrated his ordeals in the hands of the hoodlums, alleging that a political leader in the local government area was behind the incident in a bid to silence other aspirants in the forthcoming election.
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He said, “I am a retired civil servant. I am also interested in contesting as Chairman of the Efon Local Government area. But the political leader, with the use of a group of political thugs, attacked us.
“They are saying they don’t want any other aspirant to contest against a preferred aspirant, but I maintained my ground that I will contest and win.
“On July 31, 2023, during a masquerade event in Efon, the thugs had wanted to forcibly remove one of my customised caps from one of my supporters. When he refused to surrender it, the hoodlums descended on him, beat him up and tore his clothes.”
Olayinka said that despite the intervention of some elders, the hoodlums came to his family house in the evening where they attacked members and everybody in sight leaving four persons injured and smashing cartons of beer bottles in his shop.
Olayinka, who said that it took the intervention of military personnel to restore peace and order, called on Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, to intervene and save his family members and the party from further attacks capable of leading to a political crisis in the area.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, said the police had arrested and charged the alleged leader of the group involved in the attack in court.
