FIVE armed thugs imported into Owo, headquarters of Owo LocalGovernment Area by the Action Congress of Nigeria to disrupt today’s flag off of the Dr Olusegun Mimiko re-election campaign have been arrested by men of the State Police Command in the wee hours of today following hours of mayhem unleashed on the ancient town.
They were arrested with guns, charms, live ammunition, masks, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons. Owo was embroiled in violence on Wednesday evening as armed thugs, shooting sporadically in the air, went round the damaging sound systems, podium, inflatable billboards, Labour Party (LP) flags,erected at the Methodist Primary School venue of the Mega rally in Owo.
They also wounded several people who are currently receiving treatments in various hospitals in the town.
In its reaction, the Mimiko campaign Organisation stated that the development vindicated its numerous cries that the ACN was out to wreck havoc in the state by the use of thugs because it was not a party on ground in the State.
It decried the development saying that the ACN had consistently been prone to violence.
“Since ACN made a foray into Ondo State political firmament, it has brought with it violence hitherto unprecedented in the annals of Ondo State politics, shooting, maiming and intimidation of the people and make the state seeming unsettled, said Mr. Kolawole Olabisi, its Director of Publicity and Media Relations.
According to Mr. Olabisi, the the Mimiko Campaign Organization had from the inception of the raised series of alarms to the whole world of their desperation to foment trouble, including assassination and surreptitiously pin it on the Labour Party in their bid to garner sympathy from the people.
“But we are gratified by the continued show of solidarity by the good people of Ondo State for the Dr Olusegun Mimiko led government which has continued to make Ondo State a cynosure of all eyes, an oasis of sorts in a dessert, now frequented by all. And, given our antecedent in LP and as a government, we are known for peaceful co-existence with other political parties until the ACN came up with their do-or-die politics of their phantom South-Western integration and insist that at all cost, Ondo State must fall to their rampaging army of occupation!
“This they started this with their infamous take over of late Pa Adebayo Adefarati’s anniversary earlier in the year when they unleashed mayhem on guests only to pin it on the ruling Labour Party in Ondo State. What a cheap propaganda and it will not fly in
Ondo State. Never again will we be ruled by foreigners who neither know us nor love us but are merely interested in our collective wealth!
“The latest attempt to disrupt our rally by importing mask wearing thugs from foreign lands is borne out of their desperation to rape our collective commonwealth and annex Ondo State to their treasure throve.
“While we wish to draw the attention of the good people of Ondo State to this new but dangerous trend in the annals of our State by those who were never part of us but who, out of their desperation to add Ondo State to their already flagging empire, are pretending to be saints with their poisoned chalice, we call for vigilance on the part
of our people just like what our neighbours in Edo State did during the governorship election when they chased away the Goliaths in their midst.”
The Organisation while praising men of the State Police Command for rising to the occasion urged them to continue to be vigilant and arrest all those who want to foment trouble in the State and made them to face the full wrath of the law.