Hoodlums, on Tuesday, violently stormed the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat in Ondo State, injuring the party’s state chairman, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, and several top officials.

Others hurt in the attack during a stakeholders’ meeting included the state’s representative on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board, Hon. Otito Atikase; former lawmaker Hon. Success Torhukerhojo; former Deputy Speaker Hon. Abayomi Akinruntan; the chairman’s driver, Friday Ogbaide; former Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo local government chairman Hon. Dayo Akinsuroju; and former commissioner Hon. Saka-Yusuf Ogunleye.

The violence erupted when armed thugs reportedly stormed the meeting, forcing party members to flee in panic and abruptly halting proceedings. Eyewitnesses said the attackers, wielding sticks, machetes, and other crude weapons, shouted threats as they descended on the venue.

Attendees scattered in all directions, with some taking cover in nearby buildings while others fled the scene entirely. Residents described chaotic scenes as party members rushed out, and vehicles sped away to escape the turmoil. Adetimehin said the meeting was convened to prepare for the APC Ward Congress, scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

He noted that Congress Committee members sent from Abuja had required a stakeholders’ meeting as part of the process. The chairman said he was thrown to the ground and beaten during the attack.

“They came in force this morning and ordered everybody to leave. They claimed the governor owns the party. We told them we were not challenging anyone’s authority, but they attacked us. They dragged me to the floor and took my two phones and wristwatch,” Adetimehin said.

“All they are saying is that they will kill, and they were shooting periodically; many of our members were in the hospital for treatment. When they knew they could not harm me, they went for my driver and beat him seriously. A lot of people were wounded. Their demand they were making when they came was that they didn’t want Congress.”