APC chieftain killed as Valentine party turns bloody in Kwara

Tragedy struck on Friday night in Oro, Kwara State as a stray police bullet killed a 35-year-old politician during a party to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day.

The party was held at the Topmost Hotel, Oro in Irepodun Local Government Area.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the deceased, who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Femi Oladipo, died instantly from the bullet wound.

Oladipo was a former chairmanship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in the November, 2013 local government election in the state before defecting to the APC.

The death of Oladipo has triggered a protest in the town, with some anti-riot policemen and soldiers drafted to the scene on Saturday.

A witness told NAN on condition of anonymity that a stray bullet from one of two policemen providing security at the hotel hit Oladipo’s chest at 11:45pm.

He said that Oladipo was mediating in a minor disagreement among some youths when the incident occurred.

The source told NAN that the policeman hit the butt of his gun against a wall, then it discharged a bullet and hit Oladipo.

“Oladipo was calming down the youth who were engaged in a minor disagreement when the policeman hit the gun,” the source said.

NAN gathered that two policemen were detailed to the hotel to provide security for some members of a church holding a crusade.

The members had earlier obtained a police permit.

It was in the same hotel that some youths, including the deceased, were having a Valentine party.

NAN learnt that the deceased recently returned from the United States of America.

The Spokesman for the Kwara State Police Command, ASP Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the incident, saying that the affected policeman was already undergoing an interrogation at the command’s headquarters in Ilorin.

Okasanmi said: “It was true a police officer’s gun was accidentally discharged and killed a man at the hotel where he was to provide security.

“The officer affected has been arrested and currently undergoing police orderly room interrogation at the Kwara State Police headquarters, Ilorin.”

The chairman of the local government council, Luqman Owolewa, described the incident as “very unfortunate”.

Owolewa said that the council was doing everything possible to calm the aggrieved youth.

The body of the deceased has since been deposited at the mortuary.