IDRIS AHMED, LOKOJA.
Kogi state Police Command has announced that it foiled attack on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials who were conveying results and materials to Lokoja on Sunday at Obajana in Lokoja Local Government Area.
In a press statement signed by the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP William Aya, said INEC Officials and Adhoc Staff who came under heavy attack by armed hoodlums at Obajana while on their way from Kupa North and South Wards to the Constituency Collation Centre in Lokoja were rescued.
According to the statement,the Police escort attached to the INEC team responded robustly and engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel.
“On receipt of the distress call, reinforcement teams were promptly mobilized and sent to the scene which equally engaged the attackers and owing to the superior fire power of the Police, the attackers were forced to flee with varying degrees of injuries.
“The Commissioner of Police in charge of Election in Kogi State, CP Yekini Ayoku, led rescue team to the scene for on-the-spot assessment, He later led the evacuation of the ninety six (96) rescued victims comprising INEC Officials, Adhoc Staff, Bus drivers and others to the INEC Headquarters in Lokoja. While the three (3) injured victims were evacuated to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, for treatment.” SP Aya confirmed
The Commissioner of Police has accordingly ordered the deployment of operational and tactical assets of the Force to embark on thorough combing of the general area with a view to apprehending the attackers and to rescue the victims yet to be accounted for.
The statement further disclosed that the Commissioner of Police tasked the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation Department to commence thorough investigation with a view to apprehending the miscreants and bring them to deserved justice.
The Commissioner of Police while commending the gallantry displayed by the men of the Force, urged members of the public particularly the adjoining communities to be on the lookout and report any body seen with bullet wounds to the nearest security formation or agencies, assuring the public that the Police will not rest on it’s oars in the fight against criminality in state
