Doctors to whom former House of Representatives member Opeyemi Bamidele was rushed after he was shot in Ado Ekiti on Friday have extracted two bullets from his body.

He is now said to be in a stable condition after the five-hour surgery.

Bamidele was one of the six people who were hit when a mobile policeman unexpectedly opened fire in the direction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi at the party’s secretariat, Ado Ekiti.

Fayemi was, at the time, surrounded by many party faithful including Bamidele.

He and the other victims were rushed to the hospital.

He immediately went under the knife to remove the bullets.

One of the bullets was removed from his abdominal region and the other from his leg.

The APC insisted yesterday that Friday’s shooting was all about eliminating Fayemi even as the police said it was a case of accidental discharge.

But they said they have in their custody the policeman and a politician said to have taken him to the APC secretariat.

The Nation gathered that Bamidele’s surgery was carried out by an eight-man team including four consultants.

It started at about 7pm and lasted till 12 midnight.

Besides, Bamidele also received blood transfusion on admission to replenish the blood he had lost following the shooting.

Early callers at the hospital to see him and the other victims were Dr. Fayemi; his wife, Bisi; legal icon, Aare Afe Babalola; former Ekiti State Governor, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; APC gubernatorial aspirants, Senator Ayo Arise and Mr. Victor Kolade.

Bamidele’s media aide, Ahmed Salami, yesterday dismissed speculations that he was in coma.

Salami particularly debunked claims by Governor Ayo Fayose’s media aide, Lere Olayinka that Bamidele was in critical condition and was in the process of being flown out of the country for medical attention.

He described Olayinka’s claim that Fayemi had not visited Bamidele as ‘devilish information.’

He admitted that though Bamidele fell down and passed out when the bullets suddenly pierced his abdominal region and leg on Friday, he regained consciousness in no time.

Salami said: “The way he fell in the full glare of the crowd and party supporters fuelled the insinuation that he is still in coma.

“Let me assure our supporters in Ekiti and other concerned Nigerians that Bamidele is not in coma. He has regained consciousness and is fast recuperating due to prompt and the intensive medical treatment he received thereafter.

“It is true that Bamidele has passed through major surgeries and the bullets have been removed from his abdominal region and leg. We implore our supporters to be calm and be law abiding whilst the situation is under control.

“We appreciate our people for the outpouring of affection since the incident occurred and this underscored the strong bond of unity among the APC members and Ekiti people in general.

“We want to say that the shooting was very unfortunate and unwarranted in view of the decorous and peaceful ways our people comported themselves from Akure, Ondo State capital via Ikere and to Ado Ekiti.

“We charge the police authorities to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the shooting and bring whoever that was complicit to justice for a country that has respect for the sanctity of human lives to be attainable.”

Salami condemned Olayinka for allegedly politicizing the shooting incident.

He said that unknown to many, Fayemi personally drove Bamidele to the hospital and stayed with him till 1:00am in company of his wife.

He warned that the “sordid scenario surrounding the shooting of Opeyemi Bamidele should not be deployed for morbid politicking the writer of this wicked misinformation was widely known for.

“Bamidele is fast recuperating and stabilising and no one has ever contemplated flying him abroad for medical treatment, because the situation has not degenerated to this level.

“Let me also emphasize that Dr Kayode Fayemi personally drove him to the hospital and stayed with him till 1:00am today in company of his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi.

“Dr Fayemi could not have displayed empathy for anyone more than he had done for his friend.”

APC insists: Shooting was attempt on Fayemi’s life

The Ekiti State chairman of the APC, Chief Olajide Awe, declared yesterday that Friday’s shooting was an assassination attempt on the life of Dr. Fayemi.

He, therefore, asked the Police to investigate the incident and bring the culprits to book.

Awe, at a press conference in Ado Ekiti asked the police authorities to unravel what the suspect was doing at the APC secretariat at a time he was supposed to be on duty elsewhere.

He said: “It was only God that saved the situation because our conclusion was that it was an assassination attempt on the life of our candidate, Dr. Fayemi.

“The culprit missed his target and shot Bamidele and other party members. We have visited Bamidele and other party members at the hospital and they are responding well to treatment.

“For Bamidele who was close to our candidate to have been injured like that, it was an orchestrated plan to snuff life out of our candidate.

“We believe that it won’t be difficult for the Police to convince us that that man was not a paid agent. It is left for Police to unravel who was the man and who brought him to our secretariat.

“The Police took away the culprit and he is still in their custody and we believe he will make useful statements to them.”

The APC boss added that the party was suspending its campaign in honour of the injured persons and would unfold its full campaign programmes after their recovery.

Police: It was accidental discharge

The State Police Command in a situation report yesterday said findings revealed that what happened was a case of accidental discharge on the part of the mobile police officer.

It said: “On Friday, 1st June, 2018, at about 1700 hours, the policeman accidentally shot Opeyemi Bamidele and one other, but he has been arrested.

“He is attached to 20 PMF, Ikeja, Lagos State, where he was posted on bank guard duties somewhere in Ikeja. The policeman came on illegal duty to Ekiti State.

“A politician, who conspired and removed the said policeman from where he was posted by his Squadron Commander and came to Ado-Ekiti with him for an unofficial reason has also been arrested.

“The victims of his accidental discharge are currently responding to treatment at the hospital, while the injured policeman is equally responding to treatment in protective custody.”

Akeredolu: I’d nothing to do with shooting

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State said yesterday that he had nothing to do with the Friday shooting in Ado Ekiti as claimed by the campaign organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Ekiti State.

The governor who rode with Fayemi from the Akure Airport to Ado Ekiti and was at the scene during the shooting said none of his security details fired a shot at the APC Secretariat as alleged by the PDP.

Akeredolu’s spokesman, Mr. Segun Ajiboye said the Ondo State governor “knew nothing about the identity of the suspect.”

He described the allegation as “a wicked lie from the pit of hell.”

He added: “Governor Akeredolu was in Ekiti State to show support for the APC and its candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and none of the governor’s security detail fired a single shot throughout the rally in Ekiti.

“Meanwhile, the Ekiti State Police PPRO, Caleb Ikechukwu, has disclosed that the policeman who handled the rifle was hired from Lagos. We hope this will put to rest dangerous allegation.” (The Nation)

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