On Saturday, a group of individuals believed to be political thugs, commonly called hoodlums, attacked the convoy of Yahaya Bello, the Governor of Kogi State. During the incident, some of the governor’s security aides sustained injuries.
The assault occurred at approximately 12 noon on Saturday in close proximity to the Naval Base, which is a few kilometers away from Lokoja, the state capital.
According to Kingsley Fanwo, the Commissioner for Information and Communications in the state, the hoodlums barricaded the road and opened fire indiscriminately at the governor’s convoy.
Fanwo further alleged that one of the opposition figures in the state orchestrated the attack. Nevertheless, he reassured that the governor himself remained unharmed.
“The Governor left the scene unscathed, and there is no cause for panic as the Governor is in high spirits,” the commissioner stated, even as he called on security agents to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
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“The Governor has warned that no APC member should involve in any reprisal attack as insecurity from any quarter will be met with stiff penalties,” the statement added.
The attack took place amid the charged political atmosphere leading up to the November 11 governorship election in Kogi State.
Yahaya Bello, concluding his two-term tenure of eight years in November, has seen the political landscape intensify.
In April, Usman Ododo, a close associate of Bello and the former Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi State, emerged as the governorship candidate for the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.
Ododo will be contesting against other candidates, such as Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Muritala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in the upcoming election.
