The Kogi
State Chairman of Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop John Ibenu
and a former minister from the state, Chief Gabriel Aduku, have escaped
assassination attempts on them.
The clergy
narrowly escaped death as unknown gunmen attacked him and riddled his car with
bullets.
Narrating
his ordeal to newsmen in Lokoja, the state capital on Thursday, Ibenu said he
was returning from his village in the eastern part of the state at about 5.30
pm on Sunday when he was attacked.
According to
him, about seven suspected Fulani men along Ojodu in Ofu local government area
rushed out of the bush and open fire on his vehicle.
He explained
that the assailants were on both sides of the road as four of the Fulani men
rushed out from the bush and while attempting to make a u-turn, another three
appeared from the bush and open gunfire on his vehicle.
Ibenu added
that people were fully armed with AK47 rifles, but he was only able to escape
from the scene to a nearby village with God grace.
He called on
the state governor to intensify more effort in curbing criminal activities in
the state.
According to
him within a space of one week series of kidnapping incident were recorded
along Lokoja-Ajaokuta road and other places in the state.
In the same
vein, Aduku, a former Minister of state, Health was allegedly attacked by some
gunmen men at his country home in Anyigba, Dekina local government area of the
state.
According to
a statement issued yesterday by the Secretary-General, Kogi East Elders’
Council (KEEC), Alphonsus Alhassan, which a copy was made available to THISDAY
in Lokoja alleged that Aduku, who is the Deputy Chairman KEEC was accosted and
man-handled at his residence in Anyigba, Kogi State.
The
statement read, “The hoodlums in their twenties were six in number and were
uninformed. Three stayed outside while three while two of them masked entered
his sitting room through his kitchen.
“One of them
carried a pump action rifle while the other two had pistols which they pointed
at his head and informed him they were sent from Abuja to pick him for
questioning.
“He refused
to accompany them despite their physically trying to bundle him out as he
insisted he would rather die within his compound if need be.”
He noted
that they broke down two bedroom doors, seized his telephone sets, those of his
aides and other valuables to make it appear like a robbery attack.
“We want to
state that the signature of the perpetrators of this crime is not unambiguous.
“We have a
very good idea of those behind the shameless and cowardly act. That the attack
came a few weeks after the Kogi East Elders’ Council addressed a press conference
in Abuja which was replied by a group who were so cowardly that they neither
included their names and addresses in the rejoinder which they published in
three national newspapers is
a pointer.
“It is
obvious that since the hoodlums and their paymasters could not controvert the
facts and kernel of our press conference which centred on the unmitigated
misgovernance of Kogi State, rather than tow the path of moral rectitude, they
have resorted to crude intimidation of elders old enough to be their fathers
and grandfathers,” the statement added.
He added
that no member of the Kogi East Elders’ Council appointed himself or herself.
They did not even come together on their own will to form the Council,
stressing that every single member was appointed in recognition of his or her
antecedents and have been discharging this task sacrificially for the good of
Kogi East Senatorial District.
“We will
therefore not be intimidated or cowered by mannerless hoodlums whose
stock-in-trade is gangsterism and terrorism,” he noted.
0 Comments