Tension has heightened in Ilesa, Osun State, following reported attacks that left two All Progressives Congress, APC, members dead and several others injured ahead of the state governorship election.
The latest incident occurred on Tuesday morning at the Igbogi area of Ilesa, where APC supporters had gathered ahead of a final campaign rally scheduled for the community.
According to witnesses, suspected political thugs arrived at the area at about 7:30 am and opened fire on the gathering, forcing residents and party supporters to flee the scene.
A resident identified as Sola said the attackers struck shortly before the scheduled commencement of the rally.
“We were preparing for our final rally today. Our leaders asked us to converge at Igbogi by 8 am. But at about 7:30 am, the thugs invaded and started shooting sporadically,” he said.
Sola added that four people were hit during the shooting.
The APC campaign council subsequently confirmed that four of its supporters were shot during the incident, with two reportedly dead from their injuries.
The campaign council’s media head, Oluremi Omowaiye, said the APC Woman Leader in Ilesa was among those wounded and had been admitted to Wesley Guild Hospital.
“Four of our supporters were shot. Two have died, while two others are in critical condition,” Omowaiye said.
The latest attack came amid reports that 12 APC members had been killed in separate incidents in Ilesa within 24 hours.
Five were reportedly killed during a weekend rally, while another seven were said to have died during Tuesday’s gathering.
Following the reported killings, APC supporters last week took to the streets of Ilesa to protest against what they described as political violence and intimidation ahead of the election.
The protest attracted APC leaders from Ijesa land, including Senator Francis Fadahunsi, who addressed the demonstrators and condemned the reported attacks on party members.
However, remarks attributed to Fadahunsi in a video circulating on social media subsequently generated controversy after he was heard saying, “We must not see any Accord Party member in Ijesa land. When you see them, kill them.”
The statement prompted Governor Ademola Adeleke to call for the arrest of the senator representing Osun East Senatorial District over the alleged comment.
Fadahunsi, through his media office, later denied advocating physical violence against Accord members, explaining that his reference to “kill Accord” was intended to mean defeating the party through votes.
“I meant kill Accord with your votes. At no point did Senator Fadahunsi advocate violence, intimidation or any form of physical attack against members or supporters of the Accord Party or any other political party,” the statement said.
The senator also urged political parties, supporters and voters to maintain peace before, during and after the election, while calling on security agencies to ensure that eligible voters could participate without intimidation.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Police Command said investigations into the Ilesa attack were ongoing.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the development and said further details would be provided as the investigation progressed.
Osun election: Thugs allegedly kill two APC members in fresh attack