Members of the Oodua People’s Congress unleashed violence on Saturday during the Presidential and National Assembly elections at Ago Palace Way in Okota area of Lagos State, burning already thumb printed ballot papers after voters refused to vote for the All Progressives Party.
Eyewitnesses, who were at different polling units at Ago Palace Way and Okota, said members of OPC successfully scuttled the exercise, forcing voters to scamper for safety.
Many of the voters came from places as far as Ikorodu.
The areas had been characterized by sporadic shootings.
While some alleged OPC men were shooting, scaring voters away, another version insisted that operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad raced to the scene and shot into the air to disperse the marauding OPC men.
The OPC men were said to have stormed the units on motorcycles.
Although conventional policemen were at the polling units, they were however alleged to have bolted after the mayhem started because they were not armed.
Voters said the fracas started at units 035 and 036, junction of Adeneken Street, Alhaji Olusesi Street and spilled over to other units.
A voter said: “The OPC men burnt our polling units.
“Trouble started after they tried to force us to vote for APC, but majority of the people wanted to vote for Peoples Democratic Party.
“They started assaulting people.
“Before we knew what was happening, the situation had escalated, they scattered polling units and set fire.”
Another narrated: “Some thugs just appeared from nowhere and snatched ballot boxes at a polling unit at Avenue, Ago Palace Way right in the middle of voting session.
“I have never seen such kind of thing before.
“We all had to run for our dear lives.”
It was further gathered that a detachment of soldiers had been deployed on the scenes.
Before the Army got there however, the OPC men had burnt the data of voters, who had already cast their votes.
They also ran away with data of those yet to cast their votes.
One of those who spoke on one of the videos said the OPC men told them that with the demise of their Founder, Frederick Fasehun, voters can no longer have their way in the area.