Ekiti guber: Police arrest politician behind shooting during APC rally

The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested the politician (names withheld) who brought the policeman that fired the shot at a rally organized by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for its candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi on Friday.

Bamidele and five others were shot at the APC secretariat located at Ajilosun area of Ado Ekiti during a welcome rally organized for Fayemi.

Bamidele, who was shot in the stomach, and those who were hit are currently receiving medical treatments in the hospital.

In a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, Caleb Ikechukwu in Ado Ekiti on Saturday, the police command noted that the policeman accidentally shot Opeyemi Bamidele and five others at the rally.

The police spokesman refused to mention the name of the politician in their custody. Ikechukwu, however, stated that only two persons were shot contrary to the APC’s position that six victims were involved .

The PPRO said: “The policeman is attached to 20 PMF, Ikeja, Lagos State where he was posted on bank guard duties somewhere in Ikeja. The policeman came on illegal duty to Ekiti State.

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“A politician, who conspired and removed the said policeman from where he was posted by his squadron Commander and came to Ado-Ekiti with him for an unofficial reasons have also been arrested.”

Ikechukwu said the victims of policeman’s accidental discharge are currently responding to treatment at the hospital, while the injured policeman is equally responding to treatment in protective custody.

Meanwhile, the Ekiti State chapter of the APC on Saturday blamed the shooting at the rally organized for its governorship candidate, Fayemi, on security lapses.

The party has also suspended electioneering until the security agencies are able to guarantee their safety as they proceed to the July 14 election.

The party, through its State Chairman, Chief Jide Awe alleged that the police were complicit in many ways, including allowing police from another state to provide security at the campaign rally.

Awe also blamed the police for granting Governor Ayodele Fayose permission to hold a separate rally with commercial motorcyclists after permitting the party to hold its rally that day, describing this as capable of igniting crisis in the state.

Briefing newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, Awe insisted that the attack was a well contrived assassinated attempt on its candidate and the hierarchy of the party.

Awe stated that the party was not convinced by the claim of the police that it was a case of accidental discharge.

He said: “We raise serious doubt over police investigation claiming that it was a case of accidental discharge.

“The police must convinced us that the policeman, who fired the shot is not fake. They claimed that he came from MOPOL 20 in Lagos, what was a policeman from Lagos doing in our rally? What was his mission and who was his principal?”, Awe asked.

He continued: “We are still maintaining our stand that it was an assassination plot on our candidate, because the shooting came from a close range to where Dr. Fayemi was.

“The police must get to the root of where this emanated from. Lives were involved and our people were hit, so we can’t fold our arms and be watching.

“That is why we are suspending our rallies pending the time the police is able to convince us that they are going to be strict with permissions for campaigns. We don’t want PDP to hide under any clash campaign to unleash terror on our people,” he said.

On claims that the state government was complicit, Awe maintained that; “we have not indicted the government , but the manner at which Governor Fayose conducted himself gave room for suspicion.

“Before the incident, Governor Fayose told Okada Riders and the people of Ikere Ekiti not to welcome Dr Fayemi to Ekiti.

“When the incident occurred, the state government was the first to issue press statement reading meanings to the shooting. What was their concerned about shooting in APC’s rally?

“All these issues prompted us to say that the PDP government was involved. Let me also clarify that we are not working at cross purposes with the police, but our approaches may be different.

“Our claim was that the man who fired the shot was fake policeman and a paid agent with a mission to kill our governorship candidate and the police said he was from MOPOL 20 but on illegal duty in Ekiti.

“So, what the police need now is to convince us about the veracity of their claim,” the party chairman said.

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