The convoy of the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu has been attacked in Lagos State, South-West Nigeria.
The incident occurred at the Adeniji end of Isale Eko after the ruling party’s standard-bearer visited the Oba of Lagos on his return to his home state after emerging as a presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections.
Journalists attached to the Lagos State governor’s office were the worse hit. It was gathered that one of the pressmen that sustained injuries was a correspondent attached to the State House from Western Post, an online medium, and identified as Lola Ogunrinde, who was hit on her right eye.
Aside from her, other pressmen were reported to have sustained minor injuries during the attack perpetrated by hoodlums who were said to have stormed the palace of Oba of Lagos, Oba Riliwanu Akiolu, after information filtered in that All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, was at the palace with the governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his colleagues from Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje as well as other dignitaries.
Others were, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa; his deputy, Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni; members of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC); former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro; Lagos APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi; Chairman/CEO of Nigeria in the Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, serving and former members of the National Assembly and Lagos State House of Assembly.
The pressmen were allegedly attacked by the hoodlums on Sunday while returning from the Palace where they had gone to report the visit by Tinubu who was returning to the state after winning the primary.
A video recording of the incident shows that the bus conveying the pressmen away from the palace was filled with shattered glasses and the pressmen were seen praising God that they escaped the attack.
One of the affected correspondents said that the hoodlums attacked them shortly after Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu and other dignitaries left the palace for other engagements in the state.
According to her, they did not know the reasons for the attack, all they discovered was that the hoodlums pelted the bus with stones that shattered the glasses and hit one of the correspondents on her right eye.
“I can confirm that we were attacked by hoodlums who came to the palace. I do not know why we were attacked by the hoodlums because we did not disturb their engagement with the politicians that accompanied the APC national leader.
“Aside from Lola, others also sustained injuries, although her (Lola) injuries were the most severe and we had to quickly ensure that she got necessary treatment”, she added.
Our correspondent scooped that the hoodlums may have been angered by their failure to get money from Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu, and Lagos deputy governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, and other dignitaries at the palace proved abortive
Other dignitaries at the event were Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma, APC ex-National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole; Borno former governor, Kashim Shettima; the lawmaker representing Lagos East senatorial district, Tokunbo Wahab, and the Chairman Senate Committee on Finance, Solomon Olamilekan,
