Supporter shot dead during Lagos APC primary election

A yet-to-be-identified man was shot dead while several others sustained injuries during a violent clash that erupted at the All Progressives Congress primary election in the Ikotun area of Lagos State on Saturday.

PUNCH Metro learnt  on Sunday that the incident occurred during the party’s primary election held at a primary school in the Ile-Iwe, Egbe area of the community.

The APC on Saturday conducted primary elections for aspirants vying for seats in the House of Representatives across the country.

It was gathered that the exercise was ongoing peacefully before an argument allegedly broke out among rival supporters at the venue. This was said to have led to chaos and violence.

A resident familiar with the incident, who asked not to be identified for security reasons told our correspondent on Sunday 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, said the violence disrupted activities in the area as other supporters and delegates fled for fear of further attacks.

“We suddenly started hearing people shouting and running. Everybody became confused because nobody initially knew what was happening.

“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,” Taofeek disclosed.

He further explained that the injured victim was rushed out of the venue 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 in the area told PUNCH Metro that additional security operatives were drafted to the scene of the incident before normalcy was restored.

“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 police source said.

The police source, however, did not confirm if any arrest had been made.

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.

Party officials were yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident as of press time.

Electoral and political violence have remained recurring concerns in Nigeria, particularly during party primaries, elections and rerun polls, with clashes among rival supporters often resulting in injuries, deaths and destruction of property.