By correspondent in Lokoja.
For the second time in about a month, persons suspected to be hoodlums or arsonists or political thugs set ablaze the campaign office of the Kogi State Social Democratic Party (SDP),Lokoja, north central Nigeria on Monday.
The party’s governorship candidate in the November 11,2023 governorship election is Murtala Yakubu Ajaka with Sam. Abenemi as his deputy.
Sources told The Reporters that the office, located at John Holt road, beside HABSO PETROLEUM LTD, Lokoja, was burnt in the late hours of Monday around 1a.m.
Eyewitness reports also indicate that some residents were able to put off the inferno which destroyed valuables, including important documents.
The armed thugs were said to have set some vehicles parked inside the secretariat on fire before attacking security men stationed at the premises.
Reacting to the incident,the deputy governorship candidate of the SDP, Hon. Sam Ranti Abenemi, said, “The hoodlums came in large numbers and set all the properties in the office on fire, including generators computers, campaign materials and televisions.
“SDP and its Governorship candidate remain popular and everything legal will be done to stop this uncivilized attitude.
“Let me use this medium to call on all our supporters to remain calm,” Abenemi cautioned.
Our correspondent recalls that few weeks ago, same
campaign office was vandalized by thugs where windows broken, while other items like Air Conditioners were reportedly carted away by the thugs.
Efforts by our correspondent to get in touch with the Police Public Relations Officer,PPRO,Kogi state police command,SP.Williams Ayah, to know if arrests were made by the police, proved abortive.
He did not pick our correspondent’s telephone calls put to him and also did not response to the text sent to him on the incident, as at the time of this report.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
