Ogembe’s houses, four others attacked in fresh Kogi violence

Suspected hoodlums allegedly attacked some houses belonging to Senator Ahmed Ogembe yesterday, in fresh violence in Kogi State.

Other houses touched were those of a former member of the House of Representatives, Abdulkarem Salihu, the state PDP Financial Secretary, Jude Sule, and the chairman in Okehi, Adinoyi Aroke, as well as that of the youth’s leader, M. Haruna.

These attacks are coming on the heels of violence unleashed on the beneficiaries of Ogembe’s empowerment programmes in the state.

The senator reportedly escaped unhurt in the attack, while over 1000 women, mostly widows who came for the N20, 000 stipends sustained various degrees of injuries.

The previous attacks took place last Saturday at a hotel in Okene, while the fresh one occurred in Okene, Okehi and Adavi local council areas of the state.

An eye witnessed told The Guardian that the suspected thugs invaded the area with dangerous weapons, and shot sporadically into the air before launching the attack.

Ogembe, in a statement yesterday in Lokoja, said those behind the attack are the coordinators of a killer squad being trained to harass, intimidate and unleash mayhem on members of the opposition party in the central senatorial district.

“He said: “We are not only calling on security agencies to effect their arrest, we are also asking for their prosecution, because we have enough evidence to sue those behind the crime.

“After they tried severally to stop the empowerment programme from holding, and were resisted by youths and a team of security men that were with me, they later in the night sent thugs to destroy the houses and belongings of the PDP members.”

He declared that the threat to his life forced him to embark on a night journey to Abuja.

Meanwhile, the PDP in the state has condemned the violence.

The party’s state Publicity Secretary, Bode Ogunmola, confirmed that the senator was attacked in Okene on Saturday during an empowerment programme for 1000 women.

Ogunmola alleged that the thugs, who were obviously sponsored by the ruling APC in the state, harassed PDP members and destroyed their property.