Demola, a Lagos man accused of leading suspected political thugs to disrupt votes and disenfranchise citizens in a major Lagos neighbourhood, survived a brutal attack that sent him trending on social media Saturday.
A video appearing to show a recuperating Demola, whose whole identity has not been ascertained, was posted on Twitter Sunday morning. It was not immediately known which hospital he was taken to.
The man was filmed Saturday afternoon covered in blood after being heavily stoned in an apparent attempt to lynch him in Okota, Lagos.
He was accused of masterminding an assault on polling units in the area, especially along the famous Ago Palace Way.
Some of the videos circulated online showed how some ballot boxes were set ablaze, and others portrayed voters scampering for safety in the densely populated residential and commercial neighbourhood.
The violence prompted the electoral office to cancel several polling units affected.
Due to the large concentration of Nigerians from the southern part of the country in the area, allegations were rife on social media that the disruption allegedly led by Demola was sanctioned by political actors to disenfranchise a particular stock in Nigeria’s largest urban centre.
The insinuations were met with a strong rebuttal by some social media commentators, who warned against ascribing ethnic colouration to a crime that should be heavily condemned by all.
It is illegal to disrupt voting, especially when targeted in the manner seen in pockets of neighbourhoods in Lagos on Saturday, and such offences attract up to two years in prison.
It was not clear whether the police have located Demola’s hospital to question him on the incident and track down his attackers.
Premium Times.
