Members of the Labour Party in Ijesaland, have raised the alarm over what they described as incessant attack on them by political thugs.
According to the LP members, no fewer than three different attacks have been carried out on them by thugs suspected to be working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
They said members of the party at Owode, Igangan and Olopon communities have recently become target of attacks.
Speaking with our correspondent on Saturday at Wesley Guild hospital, Ilesa where he was being treated, one of the Labour Party members, Rabiu Ismaila, said he was attacked by the hoodlums because he pasted the posters of a LP candidate.
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Ismaila who was on admission bed said: “I was at the commercial motorcycle park at Owode on Wednesday, November 30 when these guys called me. They were about five or six. Those guys are from Iwara. As I was going to them, one of them suddenly unleashed machete cut on my head. Everybody there was afraid because nobody dared confronting those guys whenever they started to forment trouble.
“All of them surrounded me and forced me on an awaiting bike. I was taken to a place after Olopon. Immediately they got to the place, they started macheting me. They were all armed with guns, cutlasses, axes and other weapons.
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“I was attacked to the extent that I couldn’t talk or move again. I faintly heard one of them saying “this guy is about to die. Let’s leave him”.
“A commercial motorcyclist who saw me on the ground rushed to our community to inform the people that I have been killed. They came and carried me to Wesley Guild hospital in Ilesa here. I regained my consciousness after three hours.
“I know all those guys. They are working for PDP. I was attacked because I pasted the posters of Labour Party House of Representatives candidate, Kunle Gideon, popularly known as Aloba. That is my only offence. We are living in fear in that area.”
Another victim of the attacks who craved anonymity said the same hoodlums that attacked Ismaila came to attack other members of the party, late Thursday.
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He said: “Around 11pm on Thursday, some thugs came to our village, Olopon Ajegunle and started attacking members of the Labour Party. They came to my house; forced their way inside and started destroying my property. Thank God we were able to escape.
“They were shouting on top of their voices that they don’t want any other party than the PDP. They said our area is owned by PDP and that we must all vote for the same party.
“All the PDP members in that community slept in the bush that night. Our lives are in danger. These guys had earlier attacked one of our strong members on Wednesday. It is God that saved his life. He was attacked for pasting Labour Party posters.”
Asked if he knows any of the attackers, the Labour Party members said: “We know these guys but all of us are afraid of mentioning their names, because if you mention their names, they will come back to attack, or even kill you. It has happened before. They had killed the person that mentioned their names to the police before.
“One of the persons that came to attack us is Tayo, notoriously known as Ijoba. The policemen in our area are not capable of handling these guys.”
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Chairman of Labour Party in Osun State, Comrade Bello Adebayo, called on the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sunday Faleye, to arrest and prosecute all the thugs that attacked the party’s members.
Adebayo said the hoodlums are notorious for attacking innocent people who belong to other political parties.