A yet-to-be-identified man was shot dead while several other individuals sustained injuries during a violent clash that erupted at the All Progressives Congress primary election in the Ikotun area of Lagos State on Saturday. The incident occurred during the primary election held at a primary school in the Ile-Iwe, Egbe area of the community. The political party had conducted primary elections for aspirants vying for seats in the House of Representatives across the country on Saturday. It was gathered that the exercise was progressing peacefully before an argument broke out among rival supporters at the venue, leading to sudden chaos and violence.
A resident familiar with the incident, who asked not to be named for security reasons, explained that gunshots later rang out during the disruption. The resident said, “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 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, who identified himself simply as Taofeek, stated that the violence disrupted activities in the area as other supporters and delegates fled for fear of further attacks. Taofeek disclosed, “We suddenly started hearing people shouting and running. Everybody became confused because nobody initially knew what was happening.” He added that the panic forced people to seek immediate cover, noting, “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,” He further explained that the injured victim was rushed out of the venue but ultimately died on the way to the hospital, stating, “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,”
A police source in the area confirmed that additional security operatives were drafted to the scene of the incident before normalcy was restored to the neighborhood. The police source said, “The moment the situation became violent, our men called for backup and the DPO and Area Commander moved to the venue to restore peace,” However, the police source did not confirm if any arrest had been made by the authorities.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force in Lagos State, Abimbola Adebisi, were unsuccessful as calls and messages sent to his telephone line were not responded to. Similarly, party officials were yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident as of press time. Electoral and political violence have remained recurring concerns across Nigeria, particularly during party primaries, elections, and rerun polls, with clashes among rival supporters often resulting in injuries, deaths, and the destruction of property.
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