There was heightened tension in Akure on Tuesday as suspected thugs disrupted a stakeholders’ meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Ondo State party secretariat, leaving some party leaders injured.
The incident forced party members to flee the venue in panic, abruptly bringing the meeting to an end.
Sources said party leaders and officials had gathered for what was described as a routine stakeholders’ engagement when the attackers reportedly stormed the premises.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the assailants, believed to be young men armed with sticks, machetes and other crude weapons, invaded the secretariat suddenly, shouting and threatening participants.
In an image currently trending on social media, the Acting Chairman of the APC in Ondo State, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, was seen on the ground during the fracas, holding his cheek in apparent reaction after allegedly being slapped and assaulted by some of the hoodlums.
Several attendees were said to have sustained varying degrees of injuries, while others escaped unhurt amid the confusion.
As of the time of filing this report, the motive behind the attack remained unclear.
Efforts to reach party officials for comments were unsuccessful, and security agencies have yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
