11th April, 2011
Tragedy was averted on Saturday during the National Assembly elections in Epe town, Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, when four armed thugs attacked a polling centre to disrupt voting.
They fired into the air to scare voters who ran away to avoid being hit by stray bullets.
Chief Kamorudeen Lanrewaju Rasak, an ACN chieftain told P.M.NEWS that one of the thugs who led the attackers to the polling centre shot at him several times.
The timely arrival of policemen led by the Area Commander, Ogudu and the divisional police officer, DPO in charge of Epe Police division brought the situation under control and voting resumed.
Narrating the incident to P.M.NEWS at his residence beside the polling centre on Lanre Rasak Street, Rasak said voting was going on well when four armed men stormed the polling centre and started shooting.
“I was inside my house when I heard arguments at the polling centre and when I peeped through the window, I saw a candidate of one of the parties and some armed men canvassing for votes from the voters.
“I came out to the polling centre and challenged them for campaigning at the polling centre. The next thing the thugs did was to start shooting. One of them fired at me several times and the fuel tank of my truck, thinking it would catch fire to disrupt the election.
“I thank God for sparing my life. When I asked the voters what happened, they said the agents of the candidate phoned that voters were not voting for him and he came with thugs and started campaigning that they should vote for his party.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the candidate was arrested while the thugs escaped. The police at Epe and the Area ‘H’ Command, Ogudu said they are investigating the matter.
—Paul Iyoghojie, Dedeigbo Ayodeji