The local government elections in Ogun State took a violent turn on Saturday when Hon. Muhammed Olaitan Efuwape, the vice chairmanship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikenne Local Government, narrowly escaped death.
He and another voter, identified as Biola, were allegedly shot by men suspected to be illegal policemen assembled by Hon. Ladi Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 general elections.
Reports revealed that while Efuwape sustained injuries, Biola’s legs were severely damaged by the gunfire. The injured voter was rushed to a nearby hospital for urgent medical care.
Eyewitnesses alleged that Adebutu brought in over 40 policemen from MOPOL 49 in Lagos, accompanied by PDP-aligned thugs on motorcycles, who roamed polling units in Ikenne Local Government.
These groups were accused of attempting to disrupt the election by snatching ballot boxes and intimidating voters with firearms and other weapons.
According to sources, Adebutu’s personal assistant, identified as Gafar Asaolu, allegedly led the illegal policemen to various polling units.
At Efuwape’s polling booth, the group reportedly opened fire, injuring both the APC candidate and Biola. Enraged voters managed to apprehend one of the policemen, disarmed him, and confirmed his affiliation with MOPOL 49 in Lagos.
“After the shooting, the remaining policemen fled the scene but were traced to Hon. Ladi Adebutu’s residence, where they sought refuge,” a source disclosed.
In an attempt to arrest the fleeing officers, men of the Department of State Services (DSS) were reportedly attacked with gunfire from the illegal policemen, resulting in damage to DSS vehicles.
A security operative stated that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, was immediately informed. He directed Ogun State Police Commissioner CP Abiodun Alamutu to deploy officers from MOPOL 16 and MOPOL 71 to the scene.
The policemen were instructed to storm Adebutu’s residence, where some suspects were arrested, while others scaled the fence to evade capture.
“The IGP wasted no time in instructing the deployment of MOPOL 16 and MOPOL 71 to apprehend the suspects. While some of the illegal policemen escaped, a number were arrested and are currently in custody at the Ogun State Police Command headquarters in Abeokuta,” the security source explained.
Investigations are ongoing, and authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
