Six persons are allegedly feared missing when gunmen attacked six Hummer Buses carrying The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC officials in Kogi State.
The incident which occurred in the early hours of Sunday around 2:00a.m of March 19 at Abajana, left several officials with gunshot wounds including policemen and drivers.
According to NAN, the six missing persons include two serving NYSC corps members and four ex-corpers.
The injured persons are already on admission at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), now Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lokoja.
One of the bus drivers, Salisu Ibrahim, who was shot on his right leg, and recuperating at the hospital, told NAN that the attackers took them by surprise.
Ibrahim narrated that, “We were on our way back to Lokoja from Abujor RAC with the results of the House of Assembly election held there, when we were attacked by some people.
“All the six buses moving in a convoy were attacked and in the process many of us sustained injuries.
“Thank God, none of us died in the process but I learnt some corpers are missing during the attack on us this early morning.”
A youth corps member who was shot on his left thigh, Dare Owofadaju, said: “It is only God that kept us alive considering the way and manner the gunmen attacked us.”
Owofadaju said that the election was conducted peacefully and counting was completed, and “it was when we were returning to Lokoja that we were attacked at Abajana”.
“Thank God some security operatives came to our rescue and rushed those of us injured to this Federal University Teaching Hospital Lokoja for immediate treatment,” he narrated.
It was also gathered that the Commander, Headquarters Command Army Records (CAR), Maj-Gen. Sunday Igbinomwanhia, Kogi INEC REC, Dr Hale Longpet, and the Kogi NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Mofoluwaso Williams, have visited the injured in the hospital.
The REC and the state NYSC co’ordinator declined to respond to NAN enquiries on the incident.
The state police Spokesman, SP Williams Ovye-Aya, who confirmed the incident, said that the police was on top of the situation.
“We are aware of the sad incident and preparing to issue a statement on the attack,” he said.