Confusion as policeman shoots Opeyemi Bamidele, one other at APC rally

There was pandemonium at the All Progressives Congress, APC,  rally in Ado-Ekiti yesterday as a Chieftain of the party, Hon  Opeyemi Bamidele and  a yet to be identified person were shot by a police officer.

Bamidele

The rally was organised to welcome the candidate of the party, Dr Kayode Fayemi back to the state after his resignation from the Federal Executive  Council and to herald the commencement of the party’s campaign for the July 14 governorship election in the state.

The rally which attracted a large crowd of party supporters and admirers across the state started on a peaceful note from Akure, capital of Ondo State before it suddenly went awry.

The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, Kayode Fayemi, former Minister of Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye and other prominent members of the party, had arrived the state secretariat situated along Ajilosun area of Ado-Ekiti in a long convoy of vehicles, amidst cheers from party members and supporters and had gone upstairs to meet with party leaders and were coming down when the policeman suddenly released several bullets to scare the people.

The police, it seemed was trying to protect the dignitaries at the rally from being mobbed by hangers-on who were trying to extort  money from them when the policeman misfired the gunshot that hit Bamidele on the hand and the other person in the chest.

Though, it was gathered that the hangers-on had  struggled with the policeman before he lost control and shot sporadically in the wrong direction.

Bamidele was hurriedly hauled into the car conveying Ondo State governor and taken to the hospital while the other victim fell on the ground and  people suspected that he must have died.

The angry party men then disarmed the policeman, descended on him and smashed his head with sticks and other dangerous weapons before being rescued and taken to a safe custody.

The incident caused serious commotion at Mobil area as people had to scamper for safety in different  directions to prevent being hit by bullets.

Most of the party men fingered Governor Ayodele Fayose as the alleged mastermind of the attack to destabilize APC.

However, Fayemi  and his entourage were received in Ikere Ekiti by a long convoy of vehicles and large crowd of party supporters, which caused serious traffic snarl along Ado –Akure road.