6th August, 2014
Simon Ateba & Jethro Ibileke/Osogbo
Men of the Nigerian Army and mobile policemen on Wednesday morning took over the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, venue of the rally organised by workers of Osun state, western Nigeria, to show support for the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, the party said in a statement and our correspondents visited the venue.
“Stern and gun-wielding security agents stopped those who had arrived the venue to decorate it ahead of the programme slated for 10:00 a.m. this morning,” said Kunle Oyatomi, Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy for the APC in Osun.
He said no reason has been given for the unlawful occupation of the venue of the event, and “the APC Osun Chapter seriously condemns the closure of the democratic space against the people of State.”
He said more worrisome is the concealment of the identities of the supposed security agents some of whom wore masks and threatened to shoot those who had arrived early for the programme.