Contrary to the news making the rounds, that a policewoman lost her life during Saturday’s bloody poll, in Ekiti East Constituency 1, the Ekiti State Police Commissioner, Mr Babatunde Mobayo, has clarified that she is alive and responding to treatment.
Mobayo said the Policewoman who was shot during Saturday’s House of Assembly bye-election, only sustained gunshot wounds and was immediately rushed to the hospital for medicare.
Three persons were on Saturday shot dead by suspected party thugs while five others sustained gunshot wounds during the House of Assembly bye-election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state constituency.
Speaking with journalists via telephone in Ado Ekiti, on Sunday, Mobayo, who responded through the Command’s spokesman, ASP Sunday Abutu, said the police officer shot is recuperating where she was being taken care of.
“No police officer died during the shooting by party thugs. Though one of our officers was shot she didn’t die as wrongly speculated.
“The policewoman, who though was in a critical condition yesterday is now responding to treatment. She is getting better”.
Mobayo said his men had arrested three suspected perpetrators of the shootings and are now being detained at the police headquarters in Ado Ekiti.
“Yes, three suspected party things have been arrested. They were picked up where they were hiding and are now being detained in our headquarters.
“Murder is a capital offence and police won’t watch and allow anyone to take laws into his own hands freely. Nigeria is a nation being guided by laws.
“Just like we assured our people on Saturday, everyone who had hands in the killings will be brought to book.
“And I am assuming that all those that were arrested will be taken to court as soon as we conclude investigations and gather enough evidence”, the CP stated.
The seat became vacant following the death of an All Progressives Congress lawmaker representing the constituency in the state House of Assembly, Hon Juwa Adegbuyi, in February.
The election had also been suspended by INEC owing to violence that vitiated the poll.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has condemned the unprovoked violence that characterised Saturday’s House of Assembly bye-election into Ekiti East constituency 1 which claimed two lives.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in Ado Ekiti by the Director of Media and Publicity of the party, Elder Sam Oluwalana, the party condemned the unwarranted shootings by suspected thugs at unit 7, ward 7 which is the polling unit of Senator Biodun Olujimi’s ward.
Oluwalana explained that irrespective of the party or personality involved, no life should be lost over any election in Ekiti.
The statement reads; “It is unfortunate that a very peaceful and transparent election could have turned so bloody.
“The APC is law-abiding, peaceful, and as such has no reason to be violent.
”No election is worth the blood of any Ekiti son or daughter. We sincerely commiserate with the families of those who lost their loved ones to the incident, while also wishing the policewoman and other gunshot victims still on admission in the hospital quick recovery.
“We call on the security agents to summarily bring the perpetrators of this needless bloodletting to justice”,
