In the aftermath of the off-cycle governorship election in Kogi State with attacks on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its personnel in the state, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Hale Gabriel Longpet, was in the weehours of Friday attacked by gunmen at his residence in Lokoja, the state capital.
In a statement on its official X page on Friday, INEC said the the gunmen stormed the home of the commissioner in the early hours of Friday about 3:30am.
The security personnel attached to Longpet engaged the gunmen in a gun duel that lasted for over 30 minutes before reinforcement arrived and overwhelmed them.
Report said that no life was lost, but property worth millions of naira were destroyed in the house.
This incident is coming a day after Dr. Longpet condemned the siege to the state headquarters of INEC in Lokoja by a mob.
He said the siege had prevented lawyers representing political parties involved in the recent off-cycle governorship election from inspecting documents/materials used in the election.
Longpet said it took the intervention of the Nigerian Army to calm the situation at the state headquarters.
“The security agencies have assured us that they will maintain normalcy on our premises.
“We assure all parties and litigants that the Kogi State office is committed to granting unimpeded access to all materials needed to prosecute their petitions,” he said. [PSN]
Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
