KOGI- Six persons have been arrested for allegedly harassing Kogi East senator, Jubrin Echocho, who was on a courtesy visit to Governor Yahaya Bello at the Lugard House office, Lokoja, on Tuesday.
Disclosing this on Wednesday, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Mohammed, in a statement, said the governor subsequently banned unauthorised persons from accessing the Government House and called for the arrest and immediate prosecution of the culprits.
According to him, the state’s lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives visited the governor to congratulate him on the peaceful and credible conduct of the November 11 governorship election and to pledge their loyalty to him and the incoming administration.
“Information just got to me as I left the office to the residence that one man called Suleiman and others embarrassed Senator Jubrin Echocho in the Government House. I’ve directed CSO to arrest all those involved in such a stupid act and bring them to justice immediately. I will never condone acts of hooliganism and indiscipline,” Mr Mohammed said.
Narrating to Daily Trust how thugs attacked him inside the Government House, Mr Echocho said he went to pay homage to the governor after the festive season, along with Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) and other All Progressives Congress federal lawmakers.
According to him, the thugs singled him out of other legislators for attack, blaming him for APC’s poor performance in the last governorship election in his senatorial district.
Narrating further, the senator said, “I was attacked by thugs in Government House Lokoja but the police rescued me. What happened was that all APC senators and the House of Representatives members from the state visited the governor on a courtesy call for the New Year. Being one of them, I was not left out. We went up and we had some brief meeting with the governor, though he expressed dissatisfaction over APC performance in Kogi East (my senatorial district) in the last governorship election.
“I told the governor that I tried all I could to convince my people to vote for the APC. I campaigned vigorously for APC in Kogi East but the people were resolute in voting for another candidate despite my efforts.
“It is not as if APC performed woefully in the election in Kogi East. There were pockets of LGs and wards that we won. There was no other thing I could have done beyond what I did. We exchanged pleasantries with the governor, took a group photograph and left. As we were coming out, in front of the Governor’s Office, the thugs pounced on me that I was responsible for APC’s failure in Kogi East.
“To my surprise, they brought out knives and other weapons to attack me but police officers around were able to rescue me inside my vehicle and we zoomed off. I thank God I didn’t suffer any injury. The police were able to provide sufficient security.”
On whether the governor had knowledge of the attack, he said: “The governor cannot descend so low and send thugs to attack me. The governor spoke with me after the attack, and he assured me that the thugs would be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law, but I told him not to worry since I’m safe.”
The attack on the senator was despite APC’s Usman Ododo winning the election with 446, 237 votes, to defeat Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party, who came second, but won the majority votes in his senatorial district with 259,052 votes.
