by S’ola Filani

No fewer than six people got injured as Lateef Akinsola, a former Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers(NURTW) in Oyo State on yesterday escaped been lynched in Ibadan by suspected thugs.

Akinsola had visited the home of Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh Haruna Suara, with some of his supporters when he was attacked with dangerous weapons.

According to him: “I was at the Chief Imam of Ibadan’s residence to honour his invitation with some of my supporter’s when they attempted to kill me.

“My supporters were attacked while I was being attended to by the Imam in his house at Agbeni area of Ibadan.

“Thank God that my supporters were outside when I was inside with the Imam, maybe I would have been dead now,” Akinsola lamented.

Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor, the Police Public Relations Officers (PPRO) in the state confirmed the incident.

Clet-Ilobanafor told newsmen that suspected thugs attacked supporters of Akinsola, popularly known as Tokyo, while he had gone to honour an invitation of the Chief Imam of Ibadanland.

She said that the State Police Command reacted swiftly to the call for re-inforcement over the issue by the Mapo Police station where it was reported.

“The command dispatched combined police teams and an Armed Personel Carrier to the scene of the incidence to quell the violence and rescue Akinsola.

“We are yet to make arrests because the place was very rowdy and we have to stop that first and later make arrests based on identification by the witness.

“We have advised those injured to go for treatment and later come back help us in our investigations at tracking down the culprits.

“We will get them and make them. Face the full wrath of the law to serve as deterrents to others in the act,” she said.