2019 Presidential poll: 17 killed in Delta, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Lagos, Oyo, many injured

No fewer than seventeen people (17) died in various parts of Lagos, Delta and Oyo states as well as Rivers and Ebonyi states during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

At least three persons were feared dead and two others badly injured at a polling units in Amukpe area of Sapele town, Sapele council area of Delta state on Saturday.

The army confirmed six dead in Rivers State alone while two each in Bayelsa and Kogi States while one was killed in Zamfara States.

Two others died on Friday during a clash between supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State.

Although most residents of the area in Sapele who were found on the scene of the incident were unwilling to volunteer details of what happened for fears of becoming targets of the perpetrators of the attack, a source said those killed were victims of suspected armed thugs.

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Some armed persons emerged from the blues and opened fire on the voters who were on the queue, killing two persons instantly.

Three persons were reportedly rushed to the hospital, one of which reportedly died later.

According to an anonymous eye witness: “I’m not sure if they carted election materials away but I saw that the ground of the place was littered with election materials, giving me the impression that they only scattered the materials”.

However, when reached for confirmation, the Delta state Commissioner of Police, Adeleke Adeyinka, could not confirm the incident.

Three killed, many injured in Lagos

This is coming as three persons were feared killed and several others injured after violence broke out at several polling units in Okota, Lagos Mainland.

Among those killed were a barber identified as Peter shot and stabbed to death at Powerline, Canal Estate in Okota as well as an Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) leader in the area known as Demola.

The third person whose identity was not ascertained, it was gathered, was stabbed to death at Last Bus Stop, Ago.

While Peter was said to have been killed by armed thugs led by one Onimama said to have stormed the area to disrupt election around 3pm; Demola was stoned to death around 5pm by angry residents who were denied their rights to vote by the thugs.

According to residents who protested the obstruction by the thugs, the hoodlums started disrupting the exercise there as early as 8am.

They blamed the police and soldiers for not acting swiftly, insisting that they had told security personnel about the presence of strange faces and hoodlums in their midst.

“There are three units in one here. I don’t know the name but this is Powerline and this is where all the residents in this estate vote. Those guys were armed with guns and cutlass. We had policemen and soldiers here and I personally told them that those guys seated under the umbrella there were thugs and not voters in this area.

“We told them to do their job by chasing them away or arrest them but surprisingly, the security people left. They only left one police van here and the policemen inside had just stick.

“As soon as those policemen and soldiers left, these boys just started scattering everywhere. They destroyed the ballot boxes but we were able to secure the presidential ballot box because we had voted.

“They killed one barber, injured many people here. We called the police and soldiers for reinforcement. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials ran away for their lives. Soldiers later came to rescue them.

“But why we are angry now is that the INEC doesn’t want to continue our election. They said they will not count our votes here and we have refused. There are police and soldiers here, so, let them count the votes of our presidential election. At least, they could not scatter that ones,” said one of the residents.

At polling unit 023, Ago Palace Way, already thumb printed ballot papers were razed but the voters chased the thugs and held one of them who made to flee on his motorcycle.

The motorcycle was burnt and the suspected thug was beaten to stupor before he was handed over to the police.

It was gathered that the thugs who started obstructing the process in these areas as early as 8am, ambushed some of the vehicles conveying the RACs to the polling units and in other cases went straight to the polling units to wreak havoc.

At polling unit 016 Fredrick Fasheun Street, Ago Palace Way, residents said thugs who stormed the polling unit assaulted a man that attempted to video them while they were forcing people to vote for a particular party or be killed.

At polling unit 33, Ajibola Aliko Street, a woman was slapped by the thugs for challenging them, while at polling units 27 and 28, the voters fled for fear of their lives.

Polling units in Ago Palace Way, Okota, Aguda-Surulere, Bariga in Somolu, Lagos Island, Ajao Estate, Isolo, Oshodi, Ijora and Mosafejo in Ajegunle were also affected.

At Somolu, the police arrested nine suspects said to have been molesting voters with charms; 10 were apprehended over the incident at Ago Palace Way, six in Epe, three at Ajao Estate, while soldiers arrested two persons at Surulere in Aguda.

One of the suspects Yusuf said a politician identified as Eunuch Ruben asked him to come to a polling unit for an unknown reason.

Our correspondent who was on convoy patrol of the state led by Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) David Folawiyo and Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu observed that the exercise was peaceful in most parts of the state.

One dies as thugs disrupts collation in Ibadan

Also , One person has lost his life in Ibadan after he was reportedly shot dead by suspected political thugs in unit 14, Lanko Compound of Agbongbon area of the capital city.

The ugly incident was witnessed by a former deputy Governor of the state, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja.

According to a source who witnessed the incident, “The boy, Monsuru Hamsat, who just finished his secondary education at St Luke’s College in Molete, Ibadan was shot down by the thugs which many residents believed belong to the group called ‘One Million Boys’.

The eyewitness said that votes were being collated when the assailants came into Lanko Compound, Agbongbon Area of Ibadan, the same ward where Ambassador Arapaja voted and they started shooting sporadically which led to the death of Monsuru.”

It was gathered that indications had earlier shown that there would be trouble when loyalists of one of the top five political parties in the state started removing the banners and posters of other parties in the vicinity and replacing them with those of their candidates.

It was learnt that Ambassador Arapaja who is a chieftain of African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo State complained that adequate security was not put in place in the area.

While contacted on phone, the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) in Oyo State, SP Gbenga Fadeyi confirmed the incident, adding that it was an accidental discharge.

“The former deputy governor came to the polling unit after the voting has closed in company of his followers shooting sporadically into the air, and in the process, a bullet hit one Monsuru Hamsat, 25years old and he was quickly rushed to the hospital but died on his way to the hospital, the case has been transferred to the Homicide department for further investigation, and the police has restored peace in the area”, the police spokesperson said.