Gunmen attacked the residence of the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Dr. Hale Longpet in Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State.
This was confirmed by Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, in a statement released on Friday in Abuja.
“In the early hours of today, Friday 1st December 2023, around 3.30 am, gunmen attacked the residence of our Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lokoja, Kogi State,” Oyekanmi stated.
He reported that the armed assailants engaged security personnel in a gun battle that lasted for over 30 minutes until reinforcement arrived.
Fortunately, no lives were lost, but the exchange resulted in property damage.
“While no lives were lost, property was destroyed in the ensuing gun battle. A team of combined security personnel has been deployed to protect the residence. This incident occurred a day after a mob besieged our state office. We call for a thorough investigation and enhanced security protection for our personnel and assets in Kogi State,” Oyekanmi emphasized.
The attack followed a previous incident where protesters, reportedly affiliated with the Social Democratic Party, had besieged the INEC office in Lokoja on Wednesday.
The protesters alleged that the commission collaborated with the state government to manipulate election materials.
They expressed concerns that materials at the INEC office had been compromised.
Danjuma, one of the protesters, claimed, “We have it on good authority that the APC and Yahaya Bello have tampered with the election materials. The materials they are taking to the tribunal have already been doctored. So we are calling on INEC to take the original material to INEC, or we will make Kogi State ungovernable.”
He further stated, “Those who stole the mandate of Kogi East must not live to enjoy it. We are calling on the President and also the National Chairman of INEC to ensure the doctored materials are immediately replaced with the original ones before they are presented at the tribunal. Anything other than that will be resisted.”
INEC has called for a thorough investigation into the incidents and emphasized the need for enhanced security measures to safeguard its personnel and assets in Kogi State.
