Govt calls for calm, pledges to fish out masterminds
Kogi State Police Command has confirmed an explosion at the administrative office of Okehi Local Council of the state.
Spokesperson for the Command, Superintendent of Police (SP), William Aya, who disclosed this to The Guardian, yesterday in Lokoja, said the explosion occurred on Monday evening.
The Guardian gathered that unknown gunmen had stormed the secretariat at about 5:00p.m. and planted an explosion that ripped through the administrative block of the secretariat.
Aya said officers of the Command have been deployed to the area to ascertain the extent of damage.
Also confirming the explosion, the state’s security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omadara, said the incident has been traced to saboteurs who wanted to cause panic during the election to prevent people from coming out to vote.
He said that adequate security personnel have been deployed to the area while normalcy has been restored to the area
MEANWHILE, Kogi State government has condemned the attack on a section of Okehi Council Secretariat Complex.
Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, in a statement yesterday, said the incident is an act of cowardice that will continue to fail in the attempt by enemies of the people to compromise the peace and security being enjoyed in Kogi State.
“We wish to call on residents of Okehi Local Council and indeed the entire Kogi Central Senatorial District to remain calm as government is on top of the situation and further measures have been immediately deployed to keep them safe before, during and after the elections.
“This is our responsibility to all Kogites, irrespective of their political affiliations. Those behind this will be fished out and severely dealt with to serve as a deterrent to others in their league.
“Preliminary findings have shown that no casualty was recorded as a result of the proactive measures anchored on our iron-cast security architecture. Security agencies have been charged to unravel the masterminds of the attack and we assure our people that those behind such a dastardly act will not be spared from justice.
“We call on parents to properly guide their wards against being used as political thugs in the forthcoming elections as government will be unsparingly decisive in dealing with issues of political thuggery before, during and after the elections.
“We urge the people of Okehi and the entire Kogi Central to go about their normal businesses as government has put machinery in place to guarantee their security. Kogi will continue to be the safest state in Nigeria,” the commissioner added.
