Journalist Escapes Lynching By Suspected Political Thugs

FILE PHOTO
FILE PHOTO

A correspondent of Nigerian Tribune Newspaper, Mr. Oluwole Ige, Wednesday recounted his close shave with death as people suspected to be thugs of a political party attempted to lynch him while performing his lawful duties.

Ige stated that he had gone to cover the clash between supporters of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and All Progressives Congress, APC, along Ogo Oluwa area of Osogbo, the Osun State capital when he was suddenly identified by one of the parties’ members, who raised the alarm on his mission to the place.

Supporters of both parties were said to be in their different secretariats, which are almost opposite each other for separate purposes.

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While the PDP supporters were at their state secretariat for the official declaration of Hon. Wole Oke for this year’s governorship election in the state, the APC supporters were in their own secretariat for the collection of materials for their party’s membership registration which began nationwide on Wednesday.

According to Ige, trouble started “when they spotted me and realized that I was taking their pictures. They pursued me with cutlasses, bottles and cudgels to the other side of the expressway, where I took refuge in a one storey building.

“The thugs stormed the building and threatened to burn it if I was not released to them. However, the people in the building denied that anybody ran inside their premises. The occupants of the building had to locked me up inside one of the offices for two hours, padlocked the gates and left the premises to create the impression that nobody was inside because the thugs were still waiting outside.

“After about two hours, the occupants of the office where I was hiding came back and gave me other clothes so that the thugs would not recognize me when I was leaving”, he narrated.