An All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly aspirant for Ankpa II Constituency, Sumaila Muhammed Attah Enjema, popularly known as Echoga, narrowly escaped what sources described as an assassination attempt in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, on Tuesday.
The incident reportedly occurred at Halims Hotel, where party stakeholders were meeting to reach a consensus on a candidate for the forthcoming Assembly election.
Insider accounts told SaharaReporters that the aspirant was nearly shot at close range by a suspected gunman identified as “Achiever Bobby,” alleged to be an aide to a lawmaker.
According to sources, the situation could have turned fatal but for the vigilance of a police escort attached to the venue, who noticed suspicious movements and intervened at a critical moment.
“It was the intervention of the police officer on duty that saved him. The suspect had already pointed a rifle at Echoga before he was stopped,” one of the sources said.
The development reportedly caused confusion at the venue, with attendees scampering for safety as security operatives moved swiftly to contain the situation.
Sources further disclosed that three suspects were arrested at the scene. They were identified as Bobby Achiever, Obobo 7 from Anyigba, and Ododo Mohammed from Ankpa.
The suspects were reportedly taken into police custody in Lokoja, where they are currently being interrogated.
“They are with the police now and statements are being taken from them,” another source confirmed. “When the police searched Bobby’s car they recovered an axe, guns, and cutlasses.”
While the motive behind the alleged attack remains unclear, sources linked the incident to rising political tension within the APC over the selection of a consensus candidate for the Ankpa II Assembly seat.
There are also allegations that some party members are attempting to suppress information about the incident.
“Some people in APC Kogi are already trying to cover up the matter so it doesn’t bring a bad image to the party, but the truth is already out,” a source alleged.
Efforts to get official confirmation from the Kogi State Police Command and the APC leadership in the state were not successful as of the time of filing this report.
The incident has, however, heightened concerns over political violence and internal wrangling within political parties ahead of upcoming elections in the state.