Again, Many Injured As Hoodlums Attack LP-ADC Members In Lagos
Unidentified hoodlums on Saturday unleashed violence on members of the Labour Party, LP in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State during their defection to the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
The event, jointly organised by LP and ADC to publicly acknowledge the movement of party members, was first scheduled to be held at the LP secretariat in Idimu.
However, chaos erupted when more than 100 suspected thugs reportedly stormed the premises, forcing party members and officials to flee.
The attackers, some armed with knives, canes and other dangerous objects, according to eyewitnesses, assaulted individuals they encountered during the invasion.
The assailants were also heard chanting hostile slogans, declaring that LP and ADC were not welcome in Lagos State.
Several party members sustained injuries in the process, while party property, including furniture and flags, was vandalised.
Despite the disruption, officials of both parties quickly relocated the programme to an alternative venue, the Eco Centre Event Hall in Egbeda, in a bid to continue the ceremony.
Speaking on the incident, the LP Chairman in Alimosho, Mr Olanrewaju Olushola, popularly known as Heritage, condemned the attack, describing it as unprovoked and alarming, especially with the 2027 general elections approaching.
“What is most painful is that most of my members sustained varying degrees of wounds. This is in spite of the hoodlums going into our party secretariat in Alimosho and destroying our furniture and flags,” he said.
Olushola clarified that the defection itself had already taken place, stressing that Saturday’s gathering was merely a symbolic ceremony to inform the public of their decision.
According to him, nearly all LP members in Alimosho, including the party’s leadership structure, had collectively agreed to move to the ADC.
Also speaking, the party’s Alimosho Secretary, Mr Moses Akujuobi, explained that plans for an open defection ceremony had earlier been halted by the police, who cited the absence of formal approval.
He said the organisers had reached out to the Area M Commander, ACP Abaniwonda, who reportedly informed them that only the Commissioner of Police could authorise political events in the state.
“Incidentally, we could not reach the CP, but we informed the DSS, after which we went ahead since it wasn’t a rally but a quiet ceremony,” Akujuobi said.
He added that the situation became more tense upon arrival at the initial venue.
“When we got to the venue this morning, we were shocked to see police vans with heavily armed policemen. They informed us that we cannot hold the event and referred us to the police commissioner.
“While we were at it, the hoodlums besieged the place and began to beat people, leading to our deserting the venue,” he explained.
Akujuobi said party officials subsequently contacted members by phone to proceed to the second venue in Egbeda, where the programme resumed briefly.
“We, however, began to contact our members through phones to move to the second venue, which is the Eco Event Centre, and everyone witnessed what took place here.
“The hoodlums got wind of our second venue and equally attacked us, beating up our members again,” he added.
He noted that the decision to defect to the ADC was driven by internal leadership challenges within the Labour Party and protracted legal disputes affecting the party.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that there have been persistent attacks on members of the ADC across the country.
In August, the Ogun State chapter of the ADC accused the police of disrupting its campaign in Sagamu for the Remo Federal Constituency by-election held on August 16.
On August 30, a meeting of the ADC attended by the former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was violently attacked by thugs.
Many members of the ADC were injured in the incident, which El-Rufai condemned as “a dangerous descent into lawlessness.”
In September 2025, thugs numbering over 50 stormed the venue booked by the ADC for the defection of the former LP gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State, Rhodes-Vivour to the party, causing chaos and injuring party members.
In October, the party’s secretariat in Ekiti State was set ablaze ahead of an inauguration ceremony for its state executives.
It was reported that some hoodlums who invaded the secretariat attacked members, vandalised vehicles and motorcycles, and disrupted arrangements for the event.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
