A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Taofeek Mustapha, was reportedly shot on Saturday after suspected political thugs attacked residents in the Oluode-Aranyin area of Osun State.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants arrived in an unmarked brown Toyota Sienna before opening fire indiscriminately, forcing residents to flee for safety.
One resident of the community, Sola Hammed, said panic spread across the neighbourhood as the gunmen fired repeatedly into the air.
“We all scampered for safety to avoid stray bullets, and we suddenly heard someone crying for help but we didn’t look back at the moment,” Hammed said.
Narrating his experience, Mustapha said he became the target of the attackers because he was wearing an AMBO-branded face cap associated with the APC governorship candidate.
According to him, he attempted to escape when the shooting started, but the hoodlums chased him before shooting him in the leg.
“I put on the AMBO crested cap when the shooting occurred. Everyone ran to safety and they pursued me because I was wearing the APC candidate cap. I did not wait but was shot. I cried for help before they retrieved back into the vehicle and drove away,” he recounted.
The Osun State Police Command confirmed that an investigation into the attack had commenced.
Police spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said detectives had begun efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible for the shooting.
In a separate development, the command announced the successful rescue of two residents of Ilesa who had earlier been abducted by suspected political thugs.
The victims were reportedly kidnapped by individuals alleged to be loyal to the All Progressives Congress, although the police did not provide further details regarding the rescue operation.
Political tension has continued to rise across Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election, with several violent incidents, including reported killings, recorded in different parts of the state.
Concern over the deteriorating security situation has prompted the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to order intensified security operations across the state.
Speaking through the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the South-West, Adegoke Fayoade, the IGP directed the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, to carry out a massive show of force and conduct raids on criminal hideouts.
The directive was issued during a stakeholders’ meeting involving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties, heads of security agencies, religious leaders and members of the media.
According to Fayoade, the police will not allow criminal elements to disrupt the electoral process or threaten public safety.
He also warned politicians against providing protection or support to suspected criminals, stressing that anyone found sponsoring violence would face the full weight of the law.
The police maintained that enhanced patrols and targeted operations would continue in the build-up to the governorship election to ensure a peaceful and credible exercise.
