PDP, APC trade blame over violence in Ilorin

Members of the ruling PDP and the opposition APC in Kwara State have traded words over alleged shooting and destruction of property in Ilorin metropolis yesterday.

It was gathered that suspected political thugs unleashed mayhem at Ode Alfa Nda, Agbaji and Ayelabegan communities in Ilorin metropolis where many people were reportedly injured by gunshots fired by thugs at a political rally.

It was also gathered that windscreens of vehicles numbering about 40 were destroyed by the thugs during the attack, while party supporters scampered for safety.

Speaking on the development, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the incident, adding that investigation was ongoing to arrest perpetrators.

A statement by the media aide to the APC governorship candidate, Rafiu Ajakaye, in Ilorin, yesterday, said two persons, who were seriously injured by gunshots, were receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

Ajakaye, who said Kwara APC governorship candidate, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, was quickly whisked away from the rally, called on security agencies to buckle up and tame hooligans terrorising electioneering campaigns in the state.

The APC said it had already predicted that the PDP thugs would mass-produce vests and other APC logos to destroy things and attack innocent citizens, stating that it is an old tactic for which the PDP and its patrons are known.

Commenting on the development, the Director General of the PDP campaign council in the state, Prof. Suleiman Abubakar, said the orgy of violence was being perpetrated by the APC leaders in the state to instill fear in the residents ahead of the coming general elections, having discovered that Kwarans had rejected them.