Ekiti guber candidate, Bamidele, survives gun attack

By Lawrence Olaoye

Some hours after Labour Party’s (LP) governorship candidate, Hon. Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, resumed his campaign rally hitherto suspended over insecurity, he has escaped death by whiskers just as his activities were again disrupted on Monday.

This happened despite assurances given to him by various security commands in Ekiti that he should resume the rallies in towns and villages across Ileje-meje local government area of Ekiti State.

But Bamidele who last week Friday sought police protection was shot at, from a close range, by some thugs suspected to have been sponsored by All Progressives Congress (APC) politicians in the state.

This latest attack occurred at Ewu Ekiti in Ileje-Meje Local government area when Bamidele was about to alight from his vehicle.

The two gun-wielding youths fired gunshots at Bamidele’s armoured Toyota Land Cruiser SUV and quickly disappeared into a nearby bush.

Efforts made by men of the SSS and Police attached to the convoy to arrest the hoodlums however failed.

It took about thirty minutes for the security men and LP youths who combed nearby bushes looking for the APC youths to return to the rally ground.

Also at Eda-Oniyo Ekiti, APC thugs barricaded the road leading to the town and fired gunshots at the waiting crowd, but one of the attackers was arrested and handed over to the police.

Meanwhile, indication has also emerged that no fewer than fifty anti-riot policemen and soldiers have been deployed from Abuja to beef up security around Bamidele’s rally grounds.

Subsequent detachment of the men, according to a party source, followed two days of consultations embarked upon by the gubernatorial candidate.

The source also revealed that the men who are expected in Ekiti before end of this week were “provided from the above”