The relatively peaceful local government polls in Ogun State turned awry on Saturday when some policemen suspected to be on an illegal duty assembled and supporting an opposition candidate of the 2023 general elections opened fire on the vice chairmanship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikenne Local Government, Hon. Muhammed Olaitan Efuwape, and one voter named Biola.
Hon. Efuwape was said to have escaped death by the whiskers with injuries, but Biola wasn’t so lucky as the gunshots shattered his legs, and he was rushed to a nearby hospital where he is receiving medical attention.
It was learned that the former opposition candidate illegally brought in over 40 policemen from MOPOL 49 in Lagos, with party thugs riding on Okadas, going around and trying to snatch ballot boxes while brandishing guns and other weapons in Ikenne Local Government in their desperate attempt to scuttle the electoral process.
Sources said that his personal assistant in the company of policemen was going from one polling unit to another harassing innocent voters and led the illegal policemen to carry out the assassination attempt on Efuwape at his polling booth.
It was observed that upon arrival at the polling booth, they opened fire, wounding both the Vice Chairman and Biola. However, other voters, enraged by the shooting, apprehended one of the policemen, disarmed him, and confirmed he was from MOPOL 49 in Lagos.
The rest of the policemen were chased by law enforcement agents and curiously made their way to the home of the opposition leader where they took refuge.
It was learned that in the course of trying to apprehend the policemen, they opened fire on law enforcement officers, particularly the men of the Department of State Services (DSS), whose vehicles were damaged by a hail of bullets.
A security source said that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, was notified of the development, and he immediately instructed the Ogun State Police Commissioner, CP Abiodun Alamutu, to assemble men of MOPOL 16 and MOPOL 71 to proceed to their hideout and arrest the illegal policemen.
While some of them escaped by scaling the fence, others were arrested and taken into custody in the Ogun State Police Command, Eleweran, Abeokuta.
“The mobile policemen were said to have opened fire on the DSS operatives, and upon learning of the development, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Kayode Egbetokun was said to have given orders to a contingent from MOPOL 16 and MOPOL 71 to effect the arrest of everyone within the house,” a source said.