There was pandemonium in Akure, the Ondo State capital, as voters and polling officials scampered for safety on Saturday when hoodlums began sporadic shootings into the air as the governorship election was underway.
The incident occurred at Ward 4, Unit 11, in Ijapo area of Akure South Local Government Area.
The armed political thugs who invaded the polling area caused commotion, but police authorities confirmed no one was injured.
However, there had been unconfirmed reports that one life was lost to the shootings.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Tee-Leo Ikoro, said “nobody died in the shooting.”
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“Somebody shot into the air near unit 11, Ward 4, it was not within the unit.
“Once we got the information, we deployed more men to the scene to ensure nothing untoward happened.
“The report of shooting someone is not correct,” Ikoro said.
He informed that electoral materials and officials were safe and the process had continued.
Meanwhile, at the same location, an unknown man has been stabbed by hoodlums at a polling unit, as the governorship election held in the state.
The yet-to-be-identified victim was found bleeding on the floor few metres away from a polling booth where he was supposed to cast his vote.
At the Ijomu Ward 4 where the incident happened, people who came to his aid took him to a police clinic in Akure.
The state’s Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of investigations, Lanre Bankole, who spoke on the matter, said the victim is now stable.
He also informed that two suspects have been apprehended in connection with the attack.
Bankole also said that the gunshots heard within the time of the attack were not from police guns.
He, however, assured that investigations will reveal what really transpired in due time.
