Gunmen kill PDP chief, night guard in Ekiti

Posted by admin Ekiti, General Politics, Party Politics, Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP), State News Friday, March 25th, 2011

Violence continued in Ekiti State on Thursday as a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ilogbo, Ido-Osi Local Government Area, Mr. Toyin Akinlade, was shot dead by yet to be identified gunmen.

Our correspondent gathered that Akinlade, who was a beer distributor, was tricked out of his house by his killers that pretended to be customers.

The deceased, who was the PDP organising secretary for Ilogbo ward, was reported to have gone out to attend to “his customer” but was shot at a close range. He died on the spot.

Also, a 70-year old night guard, Pa Lawrence Adebayo, was also reportedly killed at Iropora-Ekiti on Wednesday night.

The octogenarian was said to have been killed by gunmen but their mission was not known yet.

In another development, five students of the School of Health Technology in Ijero-Ekiti were abducted in the early hours of Thursday.

The students were said to have been kidnapped at a private hostel.

But they were reportedly rescued by residents who pursued the abductors.

The freed students were taken to the hospital where they were treated and discharged. They were said to be in shock following their ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers.

The Provost of the school, Dr. Francis Ibikunle, who confirmed the incident to journalists, said all the students had been freed, and were in stable condition.

The Provost reportedly held a meeting with the students of the school to assure them of their safety.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Mohammed Jimoh, who confirmed the incidents, said investigations had begun to unravel those behind the cases.

The PPRO denied the allegation that policemen killed the three victims in Omuo-Ekiti on Wednesday. He blamed the killings on political thugs.

He added that the police had begun investigation into the killings.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olayinka Balogun, has warned politicians and hoodlums to desist from violence.

The CP gave the warning in a statement issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Musa Adamu.

The police boss threatened to deal ruthlessly with any politician or hoodlum caught perpetrating violence in the state.

He said the command was ready to provide adequate security for lives and property in the state.

The statement read in part, “We are calling on the members of the public to furnish the police command with useful information on politicians stockpiling arms and ammunition in and around the state.

The Police is here to protect everybody. All the political parties will be treated equally.”

The Nigerian Bar Association, Ado-Ekiti branch, has also decried the rising insecurity in the state, saying security agencies must not be bias in the discharge of their duties.

The Chairman of the NBA, Mr. Owoseeni Ajayi, at a press conference he addressed on the spate of killings in the state, urged politicians to be tolerant as the elections drew near.

“We are fed up with the waste of human lives. Wasting of human lives by policemen and thugs must stop. If violence continues, the April poll will be a mirage. If police collude with thugs to kill people, then we are in a situation that can consume everybody.

“We will take every necessary legal steps to ensure that those who perpetrated the killings are brought to book,” he said.

-Punchwp_posts