The Kogi Police Command has confirmed an attack on the Secretary to the State’s Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, David Mike, on Monday by gunmen.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Williams Ovye-Aya, disclosed this in a statement issued in Lokoja.
He alleged that Mike was attacked along with two other persons on the fateful day.
Ovye-Aya warned the public from making inflammatory statements on the incident, which he said was under investigation.
He narrated: “On Monday, December 4, at about 1820hrs, one Mr David Mike (M) Secretary to Kogi governorship election petition tribunal, along with Labode Apreala (F) Confidential Secretary and Hassimu Adamu Assistant Secretary, came to State Criminal Investigation Department, Kogi State Police Headquarters and reported that they were attacked by gunmen.”
“On the date (December 4) three of them left their hotel rooms in Lokoja about 1300hrs, heading to their office at the High Court Complex, driving in his (David’s) Peugeot 406 car, but that just before the CBN at about 1320hrs, one SUV vehicle which had earlier overtaken him, blocked his car with two other SUVS following behind.
“All of them (attackers) surrounded and blocked him as he attempted to reverse.
“That he (Mike) saw about seven hooded men all heavily armed and dressed in black attire, who shot severally into the air and dragged him and his two other colleagues out of their car, ransacked the car and took away with all the documents, including petitions filed by four parties.
“The names of the parties are Action Alliance (AA), Action People’s Party (APP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).”
The items he added included two record books and a bag containing his personal items.
“He claimed to have also reported to the DSS Office, ” Ovye-Aya said.
He said the State’s Police Commissioner, Bethrand Onuoha, had ordered a thorough and diligent investigation into the incident.
He explained that the statement on the attack became imperative following a series of distorted information on the incident, hence, the need to set the records straight.
“The Command hereby advises the general public to avoid making statements that might prejudice ongoing investigation into the matter.
“The Command also appeals to anyone with useful information on the alleged incident to provide the same to the Command, ” Ovye-Aya said.
He, however, pledged to update the public as investigation progressed.
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Recall that the APC had earlier said that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) should be investigated over the alleged attack, to save the nation’s democracy.
Kingsley Fanwo, Director of Media and Publicity, APC Governorship Campaign Council, had made the call in Lokoja on Tuesday.
In a counter, the Kogi SDP, through its Counsel, J.S. Okutepa (SAN), had also raised the alarm over the attack and accused the APC of using hired thugs in Lokoja.
