The police in Ekiti have confirmed that gun wielding political thugs attacked the campaign train of Segun Oni, a former governor and the gubernatorial candidate, in the forthcoming election in the state, on Wednesday.

Police spokesman Sunday Abutu said in a statement that the suspected thugs invaded the campaign ground of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate and made spirited efforts to disrupt the rally in Efon Alaaye.

Mr Abutu said: “The hoodlums came to the venue with dangerous weapons to disrupt the consultation process of the SDP candidate, Segun Oni, but our men were able to put the situation under control.

“The police have begun an investigation and arrest will be made and those behind it will surely have a case to answer.”

Earlier, Jackson Adebayo, the Director of Media and Publicity of SDP Campaign, had in a statement said the campaign train of the governor was attacked by suspected thugs at Efon Alaaye.

Mr Adebayo said: “The campaign train was brutally attacked with gunshots, cutlasses, sticks and stones by fierce-looking thugs at the centre of the town around 3:30 p.m.

“Shortly after members and supporters of SDP in Efon Local Government had converged at the venue to wait for the arrival of the party’s governorship candidate, Asiwaju Segun Oni, the thugs started to shoot and attacked the SDP supporters with sticks and cutlasses.

“Some supporters were badly injured and vehicles in the convoy were damaged by the thugs.

“This is before the arrival of a detachment of police which overpowered the thugs.

“An officer of the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps was not spared by the APC thugs as they attempted to snatch his gun.

“He was wounded, but refused to surrender his gun,” Mr Adebayo said in the statement.

However, several efforts made by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to speak with Mr Oni on the incident proved abortive as he could not pick several calls made to his cellphone.

(NAN)