Many Injured as NDC Supporters Engage Thugs in a Free-for-All at Lagos Town Hall

• Party says violence aimed at intimidating opposition ahead of 2027 polls •APC campaign council condemns attacks, demands arrest of offenders Adedayo Akinwale, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and Segun James in Lagos Many people were injured, yesterday, when suspected thugs stormed a town hall meeting organised by supporters of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) at the Oregun area of Lagos State. The attackers, who were reportedly armed with cutlasses, cudgels, and stones, invaded the venue while the meeting was in progress, forcing participants to abandon the gathering and run for safety. No guns were used. The unprovoked attack was said to have disrupted proceedings, as supporters scrambled to escape and ran in different directions. But the party faithful were said to have reconvened later to challenge the attackers, a situation that led to a brawl, forcing residents of the area to flee for their lives. THISDAY gathered that the thugs attacked the Classic Event Place, Oregun, venue, where the presidential candidate of NDC, Mr Peter Obi, was supposed to address supporters alongside his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. NDC House of Representatives candidate for Ikeja Federal Constituency, Mr Joseph Orukpe, said the meeting was called to make preparations for Obi and Kwankwaso’s official rally in Lagos, and they were not expected at the venue. Most of the thugs, reportedly, escaped, but one was apprehended and beaten before being handed over to the police. The apprehended man, who identified himself as Ibrahim, insisted that he was not sent by anyone but was at the venue to solicit money. Although all kinds of weapons were freely used during the attack, none was found on Ibrahim. Violence Aimed at Intimidating Opposition NDC condemned the attack, describing the incident as an assault on democratic rights, and demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible. The opposition party alleged that some of its supporters were injured at the gathering, warning that the growing incidence of political violence can undermine democratic participation and discourage Nigerians from exercising their constitutional rights ahead of the 2027 general election. In a statement by the spokesperson of NDC National Campaign Council, Dr. Chiogo Constance Ikokwu, the party expressed sympathy with those injured and wished them a speedy recovery. NDC described the incident as an unacceptable assault on democracy, citizens’ fundamental rights, and freedom of political association, insisting that no political party or group has the right to use violence to suppress opposing political voices. It demanded an immediate investigation into the incident, the arrest and prosecution of the alleged perpetrators, as well as decisive action to address what it described as the dangerous culture of political violence in some states. “No political party or group has a monopoly on Nigeria, and no one has the right to use violence, intimidation or thuggery to silence opposing voices,” she said. NDC to Shettima: 140m Nigerians Are Poor In another development, NDC challenged Vice President Kashim Shettima and the federal government under All Progressives Congress (APC) to respond with verifiable economic data to statistics cited by its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, rather than attacking him over his assessment of the country’s worsening economic conditions. The opposition party accused the government of avoiding critical questions about rising poverty, inflation, and declining living standards by resorting to personal attacks against Obi. It insisted that the administration should address the figures with credible counter-evidence. In a statement by Ikokwu, the party stated that statistics were essential instruments for measuring governance performance, identifying policy failures, and determining whether government interventions were improving citizens’ welfare. It maintained that an administration confident in its economic achievements should welcome scrutiny rather than attack those presenting unfavourable economic indicators. NDC said, in the statement, “Statistics are not insults. They are not political weapons. They are tools for measuring progress, exposing failure, and guiding public policy. A government that is confident in its performance should welcome scrutiny, not wage war against the numbers.” To illustrate the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians, NDC compared the prices of essential commodities in May 2023 with their prevailing costs in 2026. The party said petrol, which sold for an average of N238.11 per litre in May 2023, now cost between N1,300 and N1,435 per litre. It also stated that a 50kg bag of rice, which sold for between N35,000 and N40,000 in mid-2023, now cost between N50,000 and N90,000, depending on the brand and market. Similarly, the party said the price of a 50kg bag of cement had increased from between N4,010 and N5,300 in 2023 to between N10,500 and N15,000, while the cost of a loaf of bread rose from between N500 and N700 to between N1,200 and N2,000. It stated that urban house rents had increased by between 80 per cent and 120 per cent in major cities, including Lagos and Abuja. NDC challenged the federal government to publish credible figures, explain its methodology, and identify inaccuracies in Obi’s analysis if it disagreed with the statistics. “You do not defeat statistics by insulting the person who cites them,” the party declared. “You defeat them with better statistics,” it added. APC Campaign Condemns Attacks at Political Assembly, Seeks Offenders’ Arrest APC Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) condemned the recent spate of violent attacks on political gatherings in parts of the country. It decried the reported attacks in Edo, Cross River, and Gombe, and other places targeted at party supporters and political leaders across party lines. Its Spokesperson, Dele Alake, in a statement yesterday, called on security agencies to arrest political thugs carrying out the attacks. Alake stated, “We have observed the recent spate of violent attacks at political gatherings in parts of the country. “Our campaign strongly condemns the disruption of today’s scheduled town hall meeting of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Lagos. “As we proceed with the electioneering campaign, political parties, politicians, and supporters must restrain themselves and avoid acts that could create needless crisis and public disorder. “We call on the security agencies to be more responsive and alert in preventing political violence of any type and ensure instigators and perpetrators are apprehended and punished in accordance with the law.”