A town hall meeting organised by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Lagos was disrupted on Thursday, November 12, after suspected thugs stormed the venue and attacked party supporters.
The incident occurred at Classic Event Place in Oregun at about 11 a.m., shortly before the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, were expected to address participants.
Neither candidate had arrived when the violence broke out.
The gathering had started on a lively note, with supporters singing and dancing in anticipation of the meeting.
However, the atmosphere changed when the suspected attackers, reportedly armed with cutlasses, cudgels and stones, invaded the venue.
Videos and accounts of the incident seen by First Daily showed participants scrambling for safety as the attackers disrupted activities and caused damage inside the hall.
Chairs and other items were thrown around, while vehicles and party materials were also reportedly vandalised.
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There were also reports that a driver was stabbed during the disturbance, although the extent of injuries had yet to be established.
Some NDC supporters fought back against the attackers, throwing chairs at them and chasing them out of the venue. They subsequently apprehended one suspect at the car park.
The man, identified in some reports as Ibrahim, was surrounded and beaten by an angry crowd before being detained.
He reportedly denied participating in the attack or carrying a machete, claiming he had only visited the venue to seek financial assistance because of the high-profile gathering.
Police officers later fired shots into the air along Kudirat Abiola Way to disperse supporters who had moved onto the road following the incident.
An NDC candidate who witnessed the disturbance said the attackers arrived with dangerous weapons and began destroying vehicles and campaign materials before party supporters confronted them and caught one of the suspects.
As of the time of filing this report, details of the number of people injured and any formal arrests remained unclear.
Security agencies had also not issued an official statement on the incident or the identities and motives of those involved.
The disruption comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Obi holding town hall meetings across the country as part of his political engagements.