APC primary violence in Ikotun, Lagos, left one person dead and several injured after rival supporters clashed during voting
A yet-to-be-identified man was shot dead while several others sustained injuries during violence that erupted at the All Progressives Congress primary election in the Ikotun area of Lagos on Saturday.
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The incident occurred during the party’s primary election for House of Representatives aspirants, held at a primary school in the Ile-Iwe area of Ikotun Egbe.
Witnesses said the exercise had been peaceful before a heated argument allegedly broke out among rival supporters at the venue, triggering chaos and a frightening stampede.
A resident familiar with the incident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said gunshots later rang out as the situation deteriorated.
“The primary held in a primary school at the Ile-Iwe area of Ikotun Egbe. The exercise was ongoing when an argument suddenly broke out among some supporters,” the resident said.
“The situation later degenerated and people started running for safety. In the process, gunshots were heard and one person was hit. Some others were also injured during the confusion.”
Another resident, identified simply as Taofeek, said the violence caused panic across the community as supporters and delegates fled the venue to avoid further attacks.
“We suddenly started hearing people shouting and running. Everybody became confused because nobody initially knew what was happening,” Taofeek said.
“After the gunshots, people started jumping fences and hiding in nearby houses. It was later that we heard that one person was killed while others sustained injuries.”
According to him, the victim was rushed out of the venue for medical treatment but later died on the way to the hospital.
“The victim was rushed out after he was shot, but we learnt he later died. It created serious tension around the venue because many people were afraid,” he added.
A police source told journalists that additional security operatives were deployed to the area after the clash became violent.
“The moment the situation became violent, our men called for backup and the DPO and Area Commander moved to the venue to restore peace,” the source said.
The police source, however, did not confirm whether any arrests had been made in connection with the incident.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force, Abimbola Adebisi, were unsuccessful as calls and messages sent to his line were not answered.
Officials of the APC had yet to issue an official statement on the deadly clash as of press time.
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Political and electoral violence have remained recurring concerns in Nigeria, particularly during party primaries and elections, where rival supporters often engage in fierce confrontations that sometimes lead to deaths, injuries and destruction of property.
