Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has denied reports of an assassination attempt on his life.
On Sunday, the state government had announced an assassination attempt on the governor, which it said happened a few kilometres away from Abuja, on his way to an official engagement from Lokoja, the state capital.
In a statement, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo said that the attack occurred at about 4 pm on Sunday.
Fanwo said: “The attackers who were dressed in military uniforms waylaid the governor’s convoy and started shooting sporadically at his vehicle and other vehicles in the convoy. It took the swift intervention of the security personnel attached to the governor to foil the satanic plans of the unknown soldiers”.
But the Police immediately responded that it had commenced an investigation the alleged attack.
In a late Sunday night telephone interview with The PUNCH, the Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory, Haruna Garba said: “We’re investigating”.
But in a Facebook Live on Sunday, the governor denied such an attempt on his life, saying: ‘Misguided elements will take this out of context. You are not doing me any favour by putting fake news out there, saying Governor Yahaya Bello escaped assassination when there was nothing of that nature.
‘There was a minor fracas between the military and the police attached to my convoy. It was resolved within five minutes”, he recounted.
Bello added that, while there was a minor fracas between men of the Nigerian Police Force attached to his convoy and those of a military unit manning the highways, adding that it was in the course of both units performing their lawful security duties.
He said that the incident was a trivial disagreement between his personal security team and military personnel assigned to protect the road, emphasising that there was no attempt whatsoever on his life.
The governor who commended the security agencies for their joint contributions to the improved security of lives and property enjoyed by the citizens of the state, however, called on the high command of the agencies involved to investigate overzealousness or unprofessional conduct by any of their men involved in the incident and apply the necessary sanctions.
He called on citizens of the state to ignore any attempt by political profiteers to use the incident to unsettle the polity as the state’s 2023 governorship elections slated for 11th November draw nearer.
He assured the state of both his safety and the adequacy of security arrangements to ensure that the elections are peaceful, free and fair.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) however denied that its personnel were involved in the incident.
In an interview with newsmen, the Director of Defence Information at the Defence Headquarters, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau said that Bello’s attackers were criminals clad in fake military uniforms.
Gusau urged the police to investigate the matter and ensure that the culprits were brought to book.
He said: “The attack is unfortunate and we are not happy with what happened. However, the governor did not say it was the military that attacked him. Military personnel will never attack the governor. He said his attackers were in military uniforms. His attackers are criminals. We urged the police to investigate the matter and unravel the circumstances and those involved in the attack”.
