Three Injured in Shooting at APC Rally in Ilesa

At least three people were hurt during a shooting in Ilesa, Osun State, on Saturday. This happened when members of the Ilesa West Local Government Area chapter of the All Progressives Congress held a street rally.

One of the injured is Tobi Ilesanmi, a 14-year-old boy, who was reportedly shot near the Isokun area of Ilesa.

The shooting has sparked a blame game between the APC and the Accord Party. This came after the arrest of Mayowa Adejoorin, the Osun State Commissioner for Environment, who was passing through Ilesa after the incident.

Police arrested Adejoorin and took him to the Osun State Command Headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force in Osogbo.

Abiodun Ojelabi, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, spoke about the incident. He confirmed that three people were injured during the shooting. He alleged that the Amotekun Corps were responsible for the shooting. They were in a vehicle with an official Osun State Government number plate.

"Three persons are confirmed injured, and they were taken to different hospitals. From the reports we have, they were shot at the rally scene.

"There was a rally in a part of Ilesa by the APC. The rally was on when they discovered a vehicle parked beside them with a particular plate number, OSHAO4. Some people identified as Amotekun personnel came out of the car and shot sporadically, and everybody ran for safety.

"Some brave men among those at the rally chased the Amotekun personnel. One they caught pulled out a knife and tried to stab anyone who got close, using that chance to escape," he said.

Ojelabi added that once the police got the report, some operatives from the Intelligence Response Team near the scene responded to the distress call.

The IRT officers, on their way to the scene, spotted Adejoorin’s vehicle and stopped him.

"We already have our tactical teams on the ground. We have over four IRT tactical teams in different locations. The IRT that was closer to that place responded to the incident. When they got to the scene, they saw a vehicle approaching them, a white Lexus 350.

"When they stopped the vehicle, they found an Amotekun personnel inside. They arrested the vehicle, the personnel, and one other person in the car. They took them straight to the headquarters here. On questioning, they discovered that the other occupant is Honourable Mayowa Adejoorin.

"They brought them to Osogbo for questioning to know their involvement in this incident. Four expended cartridges and a pump-action gun were recovered from the scene. The investigation is ongoing," Ojelabi said.

Folarin Fafowora, the Head of the APC Campaign Council for Ilesa West, spoke to journalists about the shooting. He said the rally was almost over when the incident occurred.

Fafowora said, "We were almost rounding up when, suddenly, a car overtook us. The occupant of the car was the Chief Whip of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Wale Akerele. I was surprised that people were embracing him, but before I knew what was happening, there was a gunshot. People started running everywhere. I couldn’t believe it.

"Then he left, and people began scrambling for safety. As we reached the roundabout around the Isokun area, the panic had really disrupted the rally.

"Out of nowhere, they suddenly came out of the vehicle and started shooting. I had to hide to avoid being hit. By the time I regained my senses, chaos had broken out."

Our correspondent tried to reach Akerele, but calls did not go through. A message sent to him on WhatsApp had not been answered as of the time of this report.

Pelumi Olajengbesi, the spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, reacted to the allegations against Akerele. He said, "The video of the Ilesa shooting is all over the place. Members of the APC were shooting during the rally and damaging properties belonging to the Accord members. They destroyed the Accord Party secretariat, and the videos are everywhere."