Ekiti Shooting: Bamidele Moved to Lagos for Post-surgery Treatment

By Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, has been moved to Lagos for medical treatment as a follow up to the surgeries he undertook for the gunshot wounds he sustained during a rally organised for Dr. Kayode Fayemi on Friday. At the welcome rally organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for its governorship candidate for the July 14 election, Bamidele and five other persons were shot among the crowd when a policeman mishandled his riffle and released sporadic gunshots into the crowd. Bamidele, who was hit in the stomach and legs, was immediately taken to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti for prompt emergency care. A statement by his media aide, Ahmed Salami, on Sunday said Bamidele was flown to Lagos by a chopper with registration number 5N-BSW belonging to Flying Doctors Nigeria, which landed at about 3.05pm at Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti metropolis.

He said though Bamidele’s health has stabilised appreciably, but there was need for him to go for post surgery treatments to ensure quick convalescence for him to be able to join Dr. Fayemi’s campaign train of which he has been playing a pivotal role.

“We want to assure our teeming supporters to discountenance the misinformation by rumour peddlers that his health had relapsed,” saying

he was in a stable condition and people were already having unfettered access to him at EKSUTH before he left for Lagos.

“Dr. Fayemi, Dr. Wole Oluleye, Victor Kolade and several other bigwigs in APC circle including ordinary members of his party were allowed access to him on the sick bed confirming the appreciable level of his stability before being allowed to be taken out of the state.

“Let me put on records that his being taken to Lagos was caused by gross dearth of equipment and personnel at EKSUTH.

“As much as we salute the proficiency and commitments of the doctors in the hospital, let me also add that many of the consultants and equipment used in performing the surgery were hired from other hospitals.

“To forestall a situation whereby we have to rely on bringing equipment that  were readily available in other hospitals down to Ekiti to treat him, we decided to shift him to such hospital to fast track his recuperation,”

Meanwhile, the politician who brought the policeman that fired the gunshots that hit Bamidele and others, Prince Tayo Adebiyi, has denied the assassination plot levelled against him by the leadership of the party.

The APC state Chairman, Chief Jide Awe, on Saturday branded Adebiyi as

an unknown party man in Ekiti, while also accusing him of hiring the

policeman to kill Fayemi and other chieftains of the party to destabilise APC.

Adebiyi, who is in police custody, was arrested on Saturday in connection with the shooting.

Addressing journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, the Director General, Prince Tayo Adebiyi Campaign Organisation, Mr. David Ayeni, said his principal brought the policeman in view of the rampancy of kidnapping along Efon-Iwaraja-Erinmo in recent time.

Ayeni clarified that the policeman was wrestling with a group of party members, who wanted to mob the dignitaries when the trigger was suddenly pulled and released the bullets.

He said the shooting at that greatly successful rally was regrettable, but he insisted that it was a clear case of accidental discharge as once posited by the state police command.

Ayeni appreciated the Nigeria Police Force for their effectiveness, by promptly bringing the situation under control, saying this reduced the number of casualties.

He added that Adebiyi has been one of the highest financiers of APC since 2014, expressing regret on why he was being denied on account of the mistake of his security guard.

Ayeni revealed that the policeman, who committed the offence was duly requested for and was never on illegal duty in Ado Ekiti as being claimed by APC top hierarchy in the state.

He said: “My Principal Prince Adebiyi is a peace loving chieftain of the All Progressives Congress who has been contributing immensely to the party advancement since 2014.

“The accidental discharge that occurred during the APC Friday rally was as a result of a struggle that ensued between the mobile policeman and some unknown thugs that invaded the venue of the rally, the incident happened while he was trying to maintain law and order at the venue.

“There is no iota of truth in the news flying around the social media that the mobile police was hired for the purpose of assassination of the APC candidate, whom Adebiyi has been up and down promoting through political campaigns and advertisements since year 2014.”

Corroborating further that Adebiyi is a chieftain of the party, Ayeni

said: “He presented a campaign  vehicle for the party during Fayemi’s

re-election in year 2014, he had since provided a vehicle for his

campaign even before he won the ticket of the party this year.

“It therefore becomes illogical and unreasonable for any Nigerian to think and hold the opinion that Adebiyi, who is a prospective candidate of APC to run as a member of House of Representatives in 2019 and a strong associate  of Dr.  Fayemi will conspire to bring down the party.”