Touts supporting Gov Aregbesola waylay readers at newsstand,injures several

Firstclass newsline learnt that some hoodlums on Thursday invaded a
newsstand in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, and beat up readers found
there for criticising Governor Rauf Aregbesola over his inability to
pay workers in the state.
Firstclass newsline learnt that the readers were at a newsstand
opposite the old Governor's Office and were discussing the issue when
the hoodlums stormed the place and attacked them.
The owner of the stand, who identified himself as Sherif, told a
source on the telephone that the hoodlums came in a large number.
He added that they descended on everybody, destroyed his stand and
tore newspapers found there into shreds.
He said, "A spy sent by the hoodlums came here and said he wanted to
buy a newspaper.
"We asked him which of the newspapers, but he said anyone. Suddenly,
some thugs invaded this place. Some readers and I saw them on time and
fled.
"But they manhandled others, who could not escape. The thugs beat them
up mercilessly. They tore all my newspapers and destroyed the stand."
One of the victims of the victims, Olufemi Fadeyi, said the hoodlums
came while the readers were engrossed in the argument for and against
the governor over the nonpayment of workers' salaries.
He stated that majority Of the readers were criticising the governor
for not paying workers' salaries and one of them stepped aside and
made a telephone call.
Fadeyi said some minutes after, the hoodlums stormed the newsstand and
started raining blows and flogging those found there.
He said, "The hoodlums were armed.
"They rounded us up, but some escaped. They beat those caught and
destroyed the stand."
The Chairman of Newspapers Distributor Association in the state Alhaji
Muhammed Olaiya, condemned the attack while calling on security
operatives to fish out those behind it.
The attack also attracted the wrath of the Osun State Council of the
Nigeria Union of Journalists.
The Secretary of NUJ in Osun State, Mr. Bamigbola Gbolahunte, said,
"Any attempt to take the nation back to the dark military days shall
be resisted by all lovers of democracy, including the NUJ."
The Civil Societies Coalition for Emancipation of Osun State also
condemned the attack.
The group's Chairman, Adeniyi Sulaiman, said those behind the attack
were afraid of the people because they had something to hide.
Firstclassnewsline.net