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Tag: APC Thugs

  • Ogun Tribunal: Police watched on as APC thugs caused mayhem in court – Segun Showunmi

    Ogun Tribunal: Police watched on as APC thugs caused mayhem in court – Segun Showunmi

    Segun Showunmi, one of the gubernatorial candidates under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last election in Ogun state has given detailed explanations of how he was attacked at the Ogun State election petition tribunal sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, by thugs said to be loyalists of a political party.

    Showunmi who addressed pressmen at his residence a few hours after the incident said the experience was highly  traumatic for him.

    Showunmi said he was in court to show solidarity to Ladi Adebutu the governorship candidate, being the first hearing of the PDP petition.

    “Today was the beginning, the opening of the tribunal and obviously a lot of people will go there. It is usual for leaders of political parties like us to show our faces so we can just show solidarity, not like we are leaving all our followers to do all the hard work while we sit in the comfort of our air conditioned rooms. And in my habit I don’t move around with things or miscreants.

    “I alighted a reasonable distance from the courthouse because I knew that parking would be a problem and I proceeded to walk. As I moved towards the environment, I saw some terrible characters that, in a decent society, should be in prison, milling around and driving all over the place. Some of them were fairly known operators who played around their parks and garages.

    “I approached the court gate and it was locked and I realised that there was no room in the court anymore and I simply turned back; and as I made my way to leave, a horde of marauders descended on me, bringing out cudgels, whips; they brought out guns and they were generally misbehaving. Luckily, a security vehicle was not too far off and I entered into the security vehicle to make my way to leave,” Showunmi narrated.

    The Egba chief said he could not recollect any time in the history of Ogun State where “brigandage, misbehaviour, thuggery, criminality, marauders and murderers” have been elevated to that level.

    Showunmi told President Bola Tinubu that, “not even under Muhammadu Buhari has brigandage been tolerated to the level that we are beginning to see it now.”

    He maintained that, “it was easy to explain an attack until I felt it physically, to ask myself how this type of madness happens here?”

    Showunmi regretted that he saw the police “standing by helpless,” as though they did not understand that they have the responsibility to keep the peace.

    “I kept asking myself, how could they have been watching APC thugs hold guns and sticks.

    “I was asking myself, when did Ogun State become a place where thugs are sent for the opening day of the tribunal? How does it become fashionable for you to mobilise miscreants to the tribunal?”

    Showunmi requested that the tribunal be relocated outside Ogun State to avoid further attacks on PDP members.

    “Our position is that, the President of the Court of Appeal, in his wisdom should please relocate Ogun State election tribunal from Abeokuta because it is no longer safe, so that we can go and have that tribunal in the peaceful atmosphere of Abuja and everybody can have the case adjudicated and we can deal with the outcome of the court cases,” he said.

    Showunmi maintained that “we have been putting in a lot of work to beg our people not to resort to reprisal.”

    “It is a very ugly day of shame, it is a day that nobody in their right senses who is a true born of Ogun State will be proud of.

    “Some of my followers are in the hospital as we speak, attending to their injuries. Luckily, I was able to get away from the place, but it was not without its own scars.

    “What would have happened if I had mobilised thugs there? What would have happened if I had told our supporters that they should engage them in a fight? What would have happened if it had gotten out of hand?

    “Do we need to make a bloodbath in Ogun State just because of an election,” he queried, saying the PDP would claim its “stolen mandate in court.”

  • One dead, 15 injured as APC thugs attacked our men in Bauchi – Farouk Mustapha alleges

    One dead, 15 injured as APC thugs attacked our men in Bauchi – Farouk Mustapha alleges

     

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  Bauchi  state chapter has condemned in strong terms the alleged attack by the thugs of the The All Progressive Congress (APC )on members of its party in the state.
    One person died, 15 others severely injured in the attack said to be perpetrated by the thugs of APC in Bauchi state.
    Farouk Mustapha the PDP Campaign Council alleged that APC thugs on Wednesday attacked its members in Duguri Town, Alkaleri LGA killing one person and injuring 15 others.
    According to the Bauchi state politician, the hoodlums that struck were from the opposition APC.
    Farouk Mustapha made this known while briefing journalists at the Press Center of the Government House late Wednesday night.
    “Today is one of the saddest days in the political history of Bauchi State, all of the gubernatorial candidate of the various parties signed the peace accord at the State Police Command headquarters with all security agencies as it has been the practice in every election year.”
    “However, the candidate of the APC, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar rtd was conspicuously absent, only his Deputy candidate was in attendance showing no respect for peace and harmony to reign in Bauchi state,” he said.
    He added that, “To our dismay, while all the candidates were busy signing the peace accord, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar embarked on a last rush campaign tour to Duguri Town, the hometown of Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, the sitting Governor and the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the forthcoming governorship elections.”
    According to him, “Shockingly, the APC gubernatorial candidate moved into Duguri with thousands of political thugs, as well as conventional and noncommercial security outfits who were well armed to the brink.”
    He alleged that, “As usual by his antecedents, considering what happened in his last campaign outings in Akuyam, Misau LGA and Toro, Toro LGA where they shot to death 3 people with no any investigation and action to bring the perpetrators to book.”
    Farouk Mustapha added that,”The APC gang leaders who led today’s thuggery unleashed terror, intimidation on the people of Duguri Town, they were chanting abusive words and breaking all PDP billboards carrying His Excellency’s pictures, buses, PDP offices and Keke NAPEP were all burnt down by the thugs.”
    “This barbaric act which was resisted by the good people of Duguri led the thugs and even the security personnel to open fire on unarmed and innocent people of Duguri,” he added.
    The PDP Campaign DG further alleged that, “They left several people injured with various degrees of injuries killing one Mal Maiunguwa Shata through a gunshot and also matchetted 15 others who are right now at ATBUTH, Bauchi for treatment.”
    He appealed saying, “The Campaign Council is calling upon all our followers across the state who are peace lovers to restrain from embarking on reprisal as the Council is doing everything legally possible to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice. Therefore, the Council is calling on the Police, DSS to investigate, and arrest the culprits and bring them to prosecution.”
    ” he Council is also calling on the Military and Police, especially the Ministry of Defence to end the use of their personnel illegally unleashing terror on the people of Bauchi State all in the name of seeking for the exalted office of the Governor of Bauchi State by the APC gubernatorial candidate in the forthcoming election” he concluded.
    But in sharp reaction, the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial campaign Council in what it tagged: ‘Thugs open fire on Air Marshal Sadique’s convoy in Gov Bala’s Village’, signed by Director, Media and Publicity, Salisu A Barau dismissed the allegation by the PDP.
    According to him, “Suspected hired thugs, using dane guns , opened fire on the convoy of the Bauchi state gubernatorial candidate of APC, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubukar, in Duguri, the birth place of the incumbent Bauchi state Governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed.”
    He stated that, according to eyewitnesses, sounds of sporadic shootings were heard around the premises where campaign lecture was being held, which made the security operatives at the venue to rush to the scene of the shootings.
    He said that, “where, in an attempt to disarm the thugs and retrieve the guns from them, three people were shot: one Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; one from a vigilance group and one from the hunters union.”
    Salisu Barau added that, “However, the NSCDC operatives succeeded in recovering two dane guns from the thugs while others escaped with their own guns. The victims who sustained gunshot injuries are currently receiving medical attention at ATBU Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.”
    He alleged that, “It will be recalled that the same pattern of attacks, suspected to be sponsored, were carried out on Air Marshal Sadique’s convoy last month in Akuyam, the home village of the state chairman of PDP.”
    Bauchi State Police Command PPRO, SP Ahmed Wakili in his reaction stated that, “Today, APC gubernatorial candidate went out on a rally at about 17.45hrs, while in Duguri Village, under Yuli-Yin Ward, Alkaleri Local Government Area, violence ensued during the rally in which 14 people were injured. Among the 14 injured, six were taken to Primary Health Care Center in Duguri, they were treated and discharged.”
    He added that among the eight that were treated and discharged, was Suleiman Adamu, Danlami Musa, Kabiru Sani, Rabi, Abdulrasheed Bala and Tanko Wakilin Pawa, all residents of Duguri Village. These are the six that were taken to the Health Care Center in Duguri.
    Eight others were seriously injured, they were referred to the General Hospital, Alkaleri. Because of the severity of the injuries, the doctor could only attend to one Mohammed Abdullahi, who is also a resident of that Duguri.
    The remaining seven were transferred from the General Hospital Alkaleri to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi for medical treatment.
    Among them that were attacked are part of the personnel and some of them were part of the entourage attached to His Excellency’s entourage. Some of them were Civil Defense Corp Members but their details were not yet made available to us. Furthermore, two Sharon Galaxy buses were damaged.
    Immediately the Command received the distress call, the Commissioner of Police, Bauchi State Command, CP Aminu Alhassan, directed the Area Commander Metro and the DPO Mainamaji and the DPO Alkaleri to commence investigation in earnest.
    The Command is calling on members of the public to be calm as the situation is under control. However, the Command will not leave any stone unturned to deal with any recalcitrant that will want to disrupt the peace that Bauchi State is enjoying presently.
    Asked to react to allegations that two people were killed in the incident, he said: “I have mentioned all that were here, I mentioned six first that were injured and I have mentioned eight that were transferred out of which one is in Duguri. I don’t have knowledge about anyone of them that is dead. All of them were taken to the hospital by the Police and up to this moment that I am giving you this report, none of them had died.
    End