Suspected thugs allegedly sponsored by members of the People’s Democratic Partyon Friday stormed some communities in Gbonyin and Irepodun/Ifelodun local governments yesterday attacking the supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and destroyed billboards and posters of its candidates in the March 28 and April 11 general elections.

According to a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, the thugs armed with guns and machetes stormed Igbemo-Ekiti where they disrupted APC ward meeting.

The APC Spokesman said that suspected thugs, who wore military uniform abducted Chief Peter Akinsola , Mr. Olusola Bello, Mr. Olujimi Ogunade, and 22-year-old Adefemi Ojo during the attack.

But the Deputy Chairman of the PDP in the State, Mr Tayelolu Otitoju had denied that his members were involved, saying the party members were peace-loving and could not have involved in act that could portray the State in bad light.

“We are the ones in the glass house now and whoever lives in the glass house doesn’t throw stones. So, our members had been seriously warned on the need to eschew violence “, he said.

Olatunbosun said investigation conducted by the party revealed that the PDP  was responsible for the attack .
He said a car belonging to ward chairman was damaged while several members were attacked in an orgy of violence that lasted several minutes.

According to Olatubosun, they came back in the night unleashing fiercer violence, abducting four members in the process.
"They started their raids from Ijan-Ekiti where they shot sporadically into the air. Residents scampered to safety as thugs went about destroying APC candidates' billboard and posters.

"After Ijan-Ekiti operation, they headed for Iluomoba-Ekiti where APC ward meeting was disrupted. Billboards and posters of APC candidates, including the chairs and tables were destroyed before moving to other communities in Gbonyin to unleash violence," Olatubosun explained.

He added that the thugs returned to Igbemo-Ekiti at night in three Hilux vans backed by policemen shooting and destroying the billboards and posters of APC candidates, including those of Mr Rotimi Odu, a member of the House of Assembly seeking re-election. They also visited Olatubosun and Odu's homes.

The APC spokesman called on the security agencies to intervene to save the lives of abducted members while also urging the police to be even-handed in the current violence being unleashed on APC members by the governor's thugs.

Meanwhile, pandemonium broke out in Ekiti yesterday as irate mob, suspected to be members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) attacked and beat  an official of the  Directorate of State Security (DSS).

It was gathered from eyewitnesses that trouble started following a disagreement between the students of the Ekiti State University, (EKSU) and commercial drivers over number of passenger on a seat.

The clash between the students and the commercial drivers, also known as Akoto drivers in Ekiti, said to have happened in Bawa Area of Ado Ekiti, had escalated into a free-for-all and caused traffic gridlock from Bawa to the University area .

The situation took a more violent trend as an official of the Directorate of State Security (DSS), simply identified as Courage was allegedly attacked and beaten silly by some drivers.

The DSS official said he was attacked on his way to office by some of the drivers who were molesting other motorists. He said though he introduced himself as an officer of the DSS but instead of giving him a free passage, the angry drivers attacked him and tried to disposes him of his pistol.