An unidentified commercial motorcyclist (Okada rider) was shot on Monday by thugs who reportedly accompanied Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, during an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally held in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
The incident occurred at about 5pm at the Soun Ogunlola Hall, Oja’gbo area of Ogbomosho, shortly after the minister was leaving the venue of the open-air political meeting organised in support of President Bola Tinubu.
In a news shared by PDP’s spokesperson, Michael Ogunsina, the shooting was unprovoked, adding that there was no violence or crisis at the venue before the incident.
According to a witness who spoke to SaharaReporters, the armed thugs began firing gunshots merely to announce the departure of their principal.
“I was at the spot where it happened. The shooting started when Adelabu was leaving. There was no fight, no chaos. These are the same leaders whose policies have made life unbearable for us, yet their aides are still shooting at ordinary citizens,” the source said.
The source further demanded accountability from the minister.
“This matter must not be swept under the carpet. Adelabu should pay the victim’s hospital bills and apologise to the people of Ogbomoso. By tomorrow morning, the identity of the victim will be known,” the source added.
Although SaharaReporters has not independently confirmed the condition of the victim as of press time, a resident of Ogbomosho, who identified himself simply as Kunle, told our correspondent that the identity of the injured Okada rider would be made public by Tuesday morning.
Earlier on Monday, a chieftain of the APC and former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin, had announced on Facebook that the party was holding a rally in Ogbomoso as part of its mobilisation drive.
The rally was reportedly organised by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, a political group led by Folarin, with the aim of mobilising grassroots support for President Tinubu and the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at the event, Folarin urged party members to take the message of Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” to the grassroots, insisting that the president was committed to repositioning Nigeria.
“Our mission is to show that Oyo State is fully ready to key into the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Folarin said, adding that the APC would “mobilise voters across the state” ahead of the next elections.
Former Oyo State First Lady and Ambassador-designate, Florence Ajimobi, also addressed party members, calling for unity within the APC. She claimed the party remained the most formidable political force in the state and vowed that internal peace would be sustained ahead of 2027.
The rally climaxed with the endorsement of President Tinubu for a second term in office and the formal reception of hundreds of defectors from other political parties across Ogbomoso North and South, Oriire, Ogo-Oluwa and Surulere local government areas.
Several APC stakeholders were in attendance, including Adebayo Adelabu, Sunday Dare, Abdulfatai Buhari, Sarafadeen Alli, Yunus Akintunde, Ayoade Adeseun, Hosea Agboola, Akin Oke and other party leaders.
