The Kogi State governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Murtala Ajaka has alleged that a combined team of police officers and thugs invaded the residence of his campaign Director, Ibrahim Jubril in an attempt to assassinate him in the early hours of Tuesday.
Ajaka made the allegation at a press conference in his campaign office in Abuja.
According to him, it was by the grace of God that he is alive, adding that three police officers who were assigned to him lost their lives in the attack.
“It is by the special grace and mercy of almighty Allah that I sit here to address you today. If men were God I, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party for this weekend’s election would have been assassinated this morning by an ad hoc force of thugs and policemen who invaded the residence of the DG of my campaign Sheik Ibrahim Jubril for the sole purpose of assassinating me.
“In the course of the attack which lasted for almost two hours between 5am and 7am this morning, three policemen officially attached to protect me from the Special Protection Unit of the Nigeria Police were killed by the rogue force hurriedly put together by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Berthrand Onuoha, the Kogi Director of Department of State Service (DSS) Mr Tosin Ajayi and the Officer Commanding the NNS Lugard Ajulu for that purpose.
“We had planned a rally for today in Anyigba. My advance party, including about six policemen had gone on advance party on Tuesday to await my arrival last night.
“Three among these officers were assassinated this morning while others including the Director of New Media for Campaign Council, Mr ID Ijele were abducted, ” he alleged.
He added that one policeman was killed at the scene, while two others were taken alive, stressing that: “my information is that they were summarily executed in a bush around Ajegwu on Itobe- Ayingba highway at about 8am this morning while the rogue force was returning to Lokoja.”
He accused the security chiefs in the state of culpability in the assassination attempt on his life.
“This outrageous act masterminded by the security chiefs in Lokoja is the manifestation of the desperate effort by the State Governor, Mr Yahaya Bello to frustrate the resolve of the federal government to guarantee a free and fair election in Kogi this weekend.
“As you are aware, following the promise of Mr. President that this election will be violence-free, the federal government began deploying soldiers to Kogi particularly Kogi East where thugs of the governor had virtually taken control attacking supporters of other parties and every single rally or meetings of the SDP, ” Ajaka further alleged.
He praised the military which had shown great level of professionalism in providing peace and security at the critical election period.
“The arrival of the military greatly reduced the ability of these thugs to move around to cause havoc and it is obvious that if such a peaceful atmosphere is sustained till Saturday it will be impossible for Bello’s cousin who he anointed as APC candidate to measure up in the election,” he said.
He also noted that they were privy to information on the planned attack.
“We uncovered the plot for this violence last week and the spokesman of our campaign raised the alarm in a statement last Wednesday when the rogue ad hoc force was being constituted and given the directive to kill the DG, Sheik Ibrahim and the youth leader Alhaji Ahmad Attah.
“This timely outcry forced them to abort the diabolic plan and we thought they had abandoned the plot following our exposure.
“Unfortunately, these three officers who had not made any pretences of executing the agenda of the governor got wind of my planned movement last night and decided to invade the house they expected I slept early this morning,” he alleged.
Ajaka claimed that the state police commissioner issued a statement that they invaded a house where thugs were living.
“I have heard that the police commissioner issued a statement earlier claiming they had invaded a house where thugs are being kept and killed three thugs and recovered two AK 47 from the thugs.
“This is really sad for a police commissioner to coordinate the killing of police officers to serve the interest of a politician. Are policemen officially attached to me now thugs?
“If the policemen and our director of new media, a senatorial candidate in the last general elections were indeed thugs who did they attack?
“How can a police commissioner and his collaborators attack a private house with an armoured tank in search of thugs?” he queried.
Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja
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