Armed men stormed a campaign event for Nigerian opposition candidate Peter Obi in Lagos on Thursday. They attacked supporters and journalists, his party and witnesses told AFP. The attack came two months before Nigeria's January 16 presidential election.
Videos on social media showed men with sticks, machetes and axes rushing into a hall full of Obi supporters and scattering the crowd. Photojournalist Mansur Ibrahim told AFP that a large group of men forced their way in before Obi arrived. He said they broke all the entrance doors and glass walls. Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters then chased them into the road, where the two sides threw stones at each other.
The Eastleigh Voice reported that the street battles lasted more than an hour before police arrived and fired tear gas. Security officials at the scene said they had not been told about the event, so they were not there to protect participants. Crowds chanted "APC must go" as police moved in, AFP reported.
Journalists were also targeted. Sam Adebanjo of the online outlet TheCable said he was hit with an axe, punched and kicked. His equipment was stolen. He said he tried to resist, then handed over the devices when one attacker shouted at him to leave the camera. In a clip filmed by local media, one NDC supporter said his head had been broken with a bottle. But he was "still standing", he said.
An NDC spokesman told AFP that nobody would intimidate the party and that it would take part in the election. He blamed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). APC spokesman Felix Morka rejected the claim. He said anyone making an allegation has a duty to back it up with evidence.
The NDC had earlier blamed the government for a string of cancelled events. It said officials were pressuring venue owners to turn the party away. The government denied this. Nigerian elections are often marred by violence, usually carried out by "thugs" linked to rival politicians, AFP reported.
President Bola Tinubu is seeking a second term. Obi came third in the 2023 election. Runner-up Atiku Abubakar is facing legal challenges to his candidacy. His campaign accuses the government of being behind the lawsuit, which the APC denies. Nigeria ranked 112 out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders 2026 World Press Freedom Index, The Eastleigh Voice noted.