Attempt by some hoodlums to attack and burn Ekiti State House of Assembly complex, was on Friday repelled by the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad(RRS) of the Ekiti State Police Command.
Our correspondent gathered that the hoodlums allegedly scaled the fence and made spirited efforts to spray a section of the complex with petrol and set it ablaze.
The Assembly had been in crisis since on Tuesday, after the election of the lawmaker representing Ikole constituency 1, Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan, as the new Speaker, to replace the late Funminiyi Afuye, who died on October 19,2022.
In the poll conducted during a plenary of the assembly, Aribisogan got a total of 15 votes to defeat the lawmaker representing Emure constituency, Hon Olubunmi Adelugba, who scored 10 in the election.
Some of the lawmakers and powerful leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state were said to be favourably disposed to Adelugba as the Speaker.
The Police Commissioner, Mr. Moronkeji Adesina, had deployed his men to shut down the assembly to maintain law and order as well as ensuring safety and security of lives and property.
The staff of the assembly were also chased out in the process to prevent being caught in the web of looming factional crisis.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police who confirmed the attempted attack revealed that the hoodlums, numbering 10, carrying two 25 litre kegs of petroleum allegedly invaded the assembly around 4am and made efforts to set it ablaze.
Abutu said officers of RRS , who were on ground and strategically positioned in the location, repelled and gave the hoodlums a hot chase into the nearby bush.
According to him, “I can confirm to you that these hoodlums carrying two kegs filled with petrol and also armed with cutlasses and other weapons came to burn down the assembly in the wee hours of today (Friday).
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