Chinelo Obogo
One suspected thug was stoned and burnt to death yesterday at Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, for allegedly burning ballot papers.
The young man named Demola, who was alleged to be a member of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), was lynched by an irate mob of voters who were irked after he was seen among thugs that invaded some polling units in the area and burnt many ballot papers.
Eye witnesses told Sunday Sun that voters were irked when they saw him lead a team of thugs from one polling unit to the other to snatch ballot boxes and burn ballot papers.
In Ago, Ejigbo and some polling units in Amuwo Odofin, there was widespread voter harassment. Suspected thugs intimidated voters and prevented them from voting.
Five eye witnesses told Sunday Sun that while voting was underway in Ago, which is predominantly dominated by the Igbo, thugs suspected to be members of the OPC and the All Progressives Congress (APC), stormed different polling units and began chasing away voters and ordering them to go back to their south eastern states.
One of the eye witnesses said she was in the company of her friend at polling units 015 along Dr. Frederick Fasheun Street, when thugs invaded the area and begun chasing away voters. “We were voting and all of a sudden, we saw thugs being led by a popular musician. They told us that they knew that we did not like their party but that this is their state and we have to vote for their party or else we would be deported. They told us that if we are not voting for their party, we should leave. We had to run for our lives after they started burning ballot boxes and papers. This isn’t peaceful election at all,” she said.
In polling unit 19 and 20 in Ohafia Street and polling 23 in Baba Ewe Street, Sunday Sun observed that suspected APC thugs burned ballot papers.
Though the turnout was massive at polling 35 and 36 in Ago, thugs interrupted the voting process about 2.17p.m and destroyed ballot boxes and papers.