Violent clashes during the ongoing Ward Congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) left three people feared killed and several others injured in Idanre and Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.

In Idanre Local Government, New Telegraph gathered that the election in most of the wards was characterised by violence and shooting by suspected political thugs.

It was gathered that the crisis started when the two political gladiators insisted on electing their loyalists to gain control of ward executives in the council area.

However, weapons were freely used by party supporters, leaving many with injuries, while some of the victims sustained life-threatening wounds. Three of the supporters of the gladiators sustained injuries that led to the death of some of them.

In Akure North local government, several party leaders and members were injured during the fracas over the control of the executives at the ward levels.

A former commissioner and Director General (DG) of Grassroots Movement For Tinubu (GMT), Hon Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, said he and his supporters escaped death by the whiskers during the ward Congress in the council area.

He said, “Today, our National Secretariat has fixed the Ward Congress nationwide for the APC. In line with that, we have decided, despite the ugly incident that happened yesterday, that we were chased away from the State Secretariat of the party.

“If not for God, we would have been dead by now, and when they entered the hall, I saw them. I was listening to them when they were saying, where is Saka? We will kill him today.

“It has been God, and when I was here, I started receiving calls from our party people, my supporters, people that we started this party together, that the chairman of the council, in the company of two lorries loaded with NURTW members were attacking our members.

“When I got to Itaogbolu, I was informed that in Ward 1, somebody had been injured, seriously injured, critically injured. And I drove straight to Ward 8. When I got to Ward 8, they told me that the council chairman, Johnson Ogunbolude, collected their phone, harassed them, dispersed them, and that there would be no congress.

“And the governor said that there should be no congress, everybody should go, and when I was in Ward 8, I also learned that somebody had been injured in Ward 12, and I went there. When I went there, that person was critically ill in the hospital.

“When I was about to leave that ward, I also received a call that in Ward 3, they had beaten them with sticks and machetes. So I drove straight to Ward 3. I saw the former House of Assembly member, who brought the thugs in his own vehicle, who were beating their people, amongst others crisis across the wards.”

Yusuf-Ogunleye said several members of the party have been taken to the hospital for treatment as a result of the injuries they sustained during the crisis.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abayomi Jimoh, who confirmed the incident, said operatives of the state command have been deployed to the restive areas.

Jimoh, in a statement made available to journalists on the incident, said, “The Ondo State Police Command wishes to inform the general public that it received a distress call from DPO Idanre regarding violent acts perpetrated by a group of individuals within the State on 18th February, 2026, at about 1105hrs. The report necessitated a prompt operational response from officers of the Command.

“In swift reaction, the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, immediately deployed tactical teams to reinforce the existing security apparatus on the ground.

“Subsequently, the Commissioner of Police, alongside the State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), CC Oluyemi Ibiloye, personally led a combined team of security operatives to the scene. Their timely intervention ensured the restoration of peace and order in the affected area.

“During the incident, five persons yet to be identified were reportedly attacked, and a vehicle was set ablaze. Three victims sustained varying degrees of injury and are currently receiving medical attention, while two others were confirmed dead at the hospital. The Commissioner of Police visited the injured victims to assess their condition and assured them of the Command’s support.

“Investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the attack and to apprehend those responsible for this heinous act.

“To forestall any further breakdown of law and order, the CP has ordered the immediate deployment of additional tactical teams to secure the area and its environs to protect lives and property.

“The Command urges the good people of Ondo State to remain calm and continue their lawful activities without fear or panic, as adequate security measures have been put in place to ensure sustained peace and stability across the State.”