CITIZENS COMPASS—Suspected armed thugs on Thursday, stormed the venue of a town hall meeting organised by Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Lagos State and attacked the supporters of the party flag bearer, Peter Obi.
The meeting was held in the Oregun area of the State before it was disrupted and the participants chased away.
The attackers, reportedly armed with cutlasses, cudgels and stones, invaded the gathering at about 11am, turning what had been a peaceful political event into a scene of panic.
Before the violence erupted, supporters of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had gathered at the venue, singing and dancing ahead of the commencement of the town hall meeting.
The atmosphere changed dramatically when the hoodlums arrived and attempted to force their way into the main hall. NDC supporters initially resisted their entry, but the confrontation quickly escalated, throwing the gathering into confusion.
More troublingly, some of the attackers were reportedly heard asking their superiors for permission to storm the venue with firearms.
The threat added to the tension as the situation deteriorated. Participants scrambled to escape, while motorists travelling along Kudirat Abiola Way made U-turns or diverted to avoid the unfolding violence. Pedestrians also ran for safety as the area descended into pandemonium.
The attack comes against the backdrop of Peter Obi’s political strength in Lagos during the 2023 presidential election.
It was gathered that neither Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, nor Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, had arrived at the venue when the attackers struck.
Security operatives later arrived at the scene to restore normalcy.
