Thugs Attack NDC Supporters in Enugu Amid Campaign Events

There was anger on Saturday in Enugu State when some suspected political thugs attacked supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The attack started early on Saturday as NDC supporters gathered at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Emene. The hoodlums dispersed them before they could welcome the NDC governorship candidate, Chinyeaka Ohaa.

Mr Ohaa had just landed at the airport for the NDC’s governorship campaign flag-off. Video clips from the scene showed NDC supporters running for safety as shots rang out from the attackers.

In one video, a thug was seen hitting an NDC supporter with a plank, injuring him near the Air Force Base by the airport. The clip showed a soldier standing nearby, but he did not intervene.

Before the thug attacked, some NDC supporters tried to alert the soldier about another thug who appeared, but he seemed uninterested. "Come up a bit, let’s know how we can take you to the hospital," one supporter told the injured man, whose head was bleeding.

In another video, NDC supporters complained that their vehicles were damaged during the chaos. Clips showed cars with broken windscreens.

Some supporters accused police and army personnel of being part of the attacks, but this claim could not be confirmed by this newspaper. When the NDC supporters finally met at the party’s secretariat in Enugu for the campaign flag-off, they faced more attacks from the thugs there.

"Stay where you are," some party leaders told the frightened supporters as gunshots echoed around them. Another video showed supporters rushing out of the venue in panic.

In that clip, police were seen shooting at the suspected thugs near the NDC secretariat while supporters fled for safety. "You people did it at the airport, we kept quiet, now we are starting it again here in our party office," an angry NDC member said in a different video.

At the NDC secretariat, where the campaign flag-off was to take place, chairs and canopies were scattered, showing the event was disrupted.

When reached for comment, the police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, asked to be contacted via WhatsApp. But as of the time of this report, he had not replied to the message sent to him.

This is not the first time suspected political thugs have attacked NDC supporters and those from other parties in Enugu State. On September 12, for example, some hoodlums disrupted an NDC meeting in Ndiuno-Obuoffia Community in Nkanu West Local Government Area.

Around the same time, thugs attacked St. Joseph Primary School in Agbani, destroying canopies and chairs meant for a rally by the Peoples Democratic Party. The police in Enugu State later announced they would investigate the attacks.