‘Policeman On Illegal Duty Shot Bamidele , Others At Fayemi’s Rally’

‘Policeman On Illegal Duty Shot Bamidele , Others At Fayemi’s Rally’

The Ekiti State Police Command on Saturday said they have arrested the politician that illegally hired the services of the mobile policeman that was involved in the shooting at the reception rally organized by Ekiti state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Dr Kayode Fayemi on Friday in the state.

In a statement issued by the Ekiti State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Caleb Ikechukwu in Ado Ekiti , the police authority agreed that the cop accidentally shot at Hon Opeyemi Bamidele and five others at the rally.

The incident which occurred at the APC Secretariat located at Ajilosun area of Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

Bamidele, who was shot in the stomach  and those that were hit by the bullets are currently receiving medical treatments in the hospital

Ikechukwu who refused to mention the name of the arrested politician  however,  said  that only two persons were hit by the policeman’s bullet contrary to APC’s position that six victims were involved .

The Police spokesman said: “The policeman is attached to 20 PMF, Ikeja, Lagos
State where he was posted on  bank guard duties somewhere in Ikeja. The policeman came on illegal duty to Ekiti State.

“A politician, who conspired and removed the said policeman from where he was posted by his  squadron Commander and came to Ado-Ekiti  with him for an unofficial reasons have also been arrested”.

He added that the victims of his accidental discharge are currently responding to treatment at the hospital, while the injured policeman is equally responding to treatment  in the protective custody.

Meanwhile, the Ekiti State chapter of the APC on Saturday blamed the shooting of five of its members, including Hon  Bamidele at the rally organized for its governorship candidate, Dr. Fayemi,  on security lapses.

The party had also suspended electioneering campaign until the security agencies are able to guarantee their safety as they proceed to the July 14 election.

The party, through its State Chairman, Chief Jide Awe alleged that the police were complicit in many ways, including allowing a police from another state to provide security at the campaign rally.

Awe also slammed the police for  granting Governor Ayodele Fayose permission to hold a separate rally with commercial motorcyclists after permitting the party to hold its rally that day, describing this as capable of igniting crisis in the state.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti , Awe insisted that the attack was a well contrived assassination attempt on its candidate and the top hierarchy of the party.

The APC chairman stated that  the party was not convinced by the claim of the police that it was a case of accidental discharge.

He said: “We raise serious doubt over police investigation claiming that it was a case of accidental discharge.

“The police must convinced us that the policeman, who fired the shot
is not fake. They claimed that he came from MOPOL 20 in Lagos, what
was a policeman from Lagos doing in our rally? What was his mission
and who was his principal?”, Awe asked.

He added further: “We are still maintaining our stand that it was an assassination plot on our candidate, because the shooting came from a
close range to where Dr. Fayemi was.

“The police must get to the root of where this emanated from. Lives were involved and our people were hit, so we can’t fold our arms and be watching.

“That is why we are suspending our rallies pending the time the police is able to convince us that they are going to be strict with permissions for campaigns. We don’t want PDP to hide under any clash campaign to unleash terror on our people”, he said.

On  the party’s claim that the state government was  also complicit,
Awe maintained that; “we have not indicted the government , but the manner at which Governor Fayose conducted himself gave room for suspicion.

“Before the incident, Governor Fayose told Okada Riders and the people
of Ikere Ekiti not to welcome Dr Fayemi to Ekiti.

“When the incident occurred, the state government was the first to
issue press statement reading meanings to the shooting. What was their
concerned about shooting in APC’s rally?

“All these issues prompted us to say that the PDP government was involved. Let me also clarify that we are not working at cross purposes with the police, but our approaches may be different.

“Our claim was that the man who fired the shot was fake policeman and
a paid agent with a mission to kill our governorship candidate and the
police said he was from MOPOL 20 but on illegal duty in Ekiti.

“So, what the police need now is to convince us about the veracity of
their claim”, he said.