The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed that armed hoodlums attacked officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and some ad‑hoc staff in the state. The assault occurred on Sunday at Obajana while the INEC team was traveling from Kupa North and South Wards to the constituency collation centre in Lokoja.
In a statement issued Sunday evening, the state command’s Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, said the police escort attached to the team responded robustly, engaging the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel. After receiving a distress call, reinforcement teams were promptly mobilised and sent to the scene, where they also engaged the attackers. Owing to the police’s superior firepower, the assailants were forced to flee, sustaining varying degrees of injury.
Commissioner of Police for elections in Kogi State, CP Yekini Ayoku, led a rescue team to the site for an on‑the‑spot assessment and subsequently oversaw the evacuation of 96 rescued victims—including INEC officials, ad‑hoc staff, bus drivers and others—to the INEC headquarters in Lokoja. The three injured victims were taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, for treatment. CP Ayoku ordered the deployment of operational and tactical assets to thoroughly comb the area, aiming to apprehend the attackers and locate the two victims still unaccounted for.
The Commissioner also tasked the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation Department, with launching a comprehensive investigation to bring the miscreants to justice. While commending the gallantry displayed by the police, CP Ayoku urged the public, especially residents of neighboring communities, to remain vigilant and report anyone with bullet wounds to the nearest security agency. He assured citizens that the police will not rest in their fight against criminality in the state.
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