By Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Kogi State Police Command have confirmed gunmen attack election workers in the state.
According to the Police spokesman, Mr. William Aya, SP, six persons are feared missing when unknown gunmen attacked six Hummer Buses carrying INEC officials to Obajana Town in Kogi state in the early hours of Sunday.
According to police, the incident, occurred around 2 a.m. on March 19 at Obajana, leaving several officials with gunshot wounds including policemen and drivers.
The six missing persons include two serving NYSC corps members and four ex-corps members.
The injured persons are on admission at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), now Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lokoja.
Mr. Salisu Ibrahim, one of the bus drivers, who was shot in his right leg, and recuperating at the hospital, told Voice of Nigeria (VON) that, “the attackers took us by surprise”.
“We were on our way back to Lokoja from Obajana Registration Area Centre (RAC) with the results of the House of Assembly election held there when we were attacked by some Gunmen.
“All the six buses moving in a convoy were attacked and in the process many of us sustained injuries.
“Thank God, none of us died in the process but I learned some corps members are missing during the attack on us this early morning,” Ibrahim narrated.
Mr. Dare Owofadaju, a youth corps member who was shot in his left thigh, said: “It is only God that kept us alive considering the way and manner the gunmen attacked us.”
Owofadaju said that the election was conducted peacefully and counting was completed, and “it was when we were returning to Lokoja that we were attacked at Obajana road.
“Thank God some security operatives came to our rescue and rushed those of us wounded to this Federal University Teaching Hospital Lokoja for immediate treatment,” he relieved his experience.
INEC Head of Publicity, Mr. Haruna Sule told Voice of Nigeria in Lokoja that the Commander, Command Army Records (CAR), Lokoja, Maj-Gen. Sunday Igbinomwanhia, Kogi INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Hale Longpet, and Kogi State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs. Mofoluwaso Williams, visited the injured in the hospital.
But the Spokesman of Kogi Police Command, SP Williams Ovye-Aya, adds, “We are aware of the sad incident and preparing to issue a statement on the attack,” he said.
In a separate incident, a soldier has been killed in an accident on election day in Lokoja Local Government Area.
INEC Head of Publicity in the state, Mr. Haruna Sule confirms this to Voice of Nigeria while giving an update on the incidents in the state.
He said the two separate incidents have nothing to do with election-related violence, but cases of accident and criminal attacks that occurred during the election period.
