Kogi State Police Command has confirmed that gunmen attacked the Secretary of the Kogi State Governorship Election Tribunal, Mr David Umar Mike in Lokoja and carted away sensitive petition documents on the just concluded gubernatorial election in the state.
The state police command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP William Aya who disclosed this in Lokoja on Wednesday said the attackers carted away all the petition documents filed by five political parties at gunpoint.
The document collected from the custody of the Tribunal Secretary include, petitions filed by four (4) political parties: Action Alliance (AA), Action People’s Party (APP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) as well as two (2) Record Books in addition to a bag containing personal items of the Tribunal Secretary.
The police spokesman revealed that the incident happened just before the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office at about 1pm on Monday, while the victims were on their way to the tribunal venue located at the Kogi State High Court complex in Lokoja.
The official statement from the Police reads: “On Monday, 04/12/2023 at about 1820hrs, one Mr David Umar Mike ‘m’ Secretary to Kogi State 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 on the said date, 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.”
“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 surrounded and blocked him as he attempted to reverse. That he 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 made away with all the petition documents.”
The State Commissioner of Police in Kogi State, Onuoha Benthrand, has ordered for a thorough and diligent investigation into the incident.