The armed men engaged the security personnel in a gun battle for over 30 minutes until reinforcement arrived.”
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – The residence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kogi State has been attacked by yet to be identified gunmen.
The electoral body said in a statement posted on its verified X handle (formerly Twitter), on Friday, that the attack took place in Lokoja, the state capital city, in the early hours of the day.
This is just as protesters occupied the the Lokoja state headquarters of INEC on Thursday to express their disagreement with the outcome of the November 11 governorship election in the State.
According to the press statement, the armed men and the security personnel stationed in the residence engaged in a fierce gun battle for over 30 minutes, but no life was lost in the duel.
It said, “In the early hours of today, Friday 1st December 2023, around 3.30am, gunmen attacked the residence of our Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Lokoja, Kogi State.
“The armed men engaged the security personnel in a gun battle for over 30 minutes until reinforcement arrived.
“While no lives were lost, property was destroyed in the ensuing gun battle. A team of combined security personnel have been deployed to protect the residence. This incident occurred a day after a mob besieged our state office.
“We call for a thorough investigation and enhanced security protection for our personnel and assets in Kogi State.”