On Saturday, a group of individuals suspected to be political thugs launched an assault on the convoy of Yahaya Bello, the Governor of Kogi State, resulting in injuries to some of his security aides. The incident took place around noon near the Naval Base, which is located a few kilometers away from the state capital, Lokoja.
According to Kingsley Fanwo, the Commissioner for Information and Communications in the state, the hoodlums blocked the road and began firing shots at the governor’s convoy. Fortunately, Governor Bello himself was unharmed during the attack. Fanwo further alleged that one of the opposition figures in the state was behind the orchestrated assault.
Fafolu said, “The Governor left the scene unscathed and there is no cause for panic as the Governor is in high spirit,” the commissioner stated even as he called on security agents to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“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 assault took place against the backdrop of a politically charged atmosphere in Kogi State, as the November 11 governorship election in the North Central state draws near. Governor Yahaya Bello’s two-term tenure, spanning eight years, is set to conclude in November. In April, Bello’s ally, Usman Ododo, a former Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi State, emerged as the governorship candidate for the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.
In the upcoming election, Ododo will compete against other candidates, including Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Muritala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and several others. As the political landscape intensifies in preparation for the election, the attack on Governor Bello’s convoy adds to the heightened tension surrounding the forthcoming polls.
