Suspected thugs armed with guns, cutlasses and stones today invaded a gathering of lawyers campaigning for the All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu Buhari and his running mate, Yemi Osinbajo in Akure, the Ondo capital, says the DailyPost.

The lawyers, numbering about 300, who congregated under the aegis of ‘Lawyers for Change,’ were to hold a street to street campaign in Akure and had converged in front of the High Court, Akure when the armed thugs attacked them and dispersed the campaign procession, sending lawyers and journalists who were to cover the event scampering for safety.

Condemning the development, the APC media secretary, Barr. Charles Titiloye criticised the security services in the state for refusing to protect the lawyers who informed them of the street campaign more than a week ago.

According to him, “the Police, the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps, the DSS and the Road Safety Corps were all informed about the rally but they refused to turn up until the thugs attacked the lawyers.

“Our democracy is under threat if lawyers cannot openly associate and express themselves or have a say during elections.

“This is a further testimony that the Peoples Democratic Party and its agents are set for violence against the opposition in Ondo state. Everyday as the election draws near, the ruling PDP’s desperation to suppress the growing opposition to its re-election increases and our security agents watch helplessly.

“Lawyers in Ondo state may take these acts of violence against us before the International Criminal Court”.