Kogi assembly crisis: Suspected thugs attack lawmakers

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Four factional principal officers of the Kogi State house of assembly Wednesday escaped death by the whiskers as suspected thugs launched an attacked on them at the Reverton on Hotel, Lokoja, where they have been holed up since last week when they attempted to impeach the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Momoj Jimoh-Lawal.

The suspected political thugs allegedly loyal to the embattled speaker stormed the hotel around 1pm with armed cutlasses and other dangerous weapons in search of the lawmakers suspected to have spearheaded the move to unseat Jimoh-Lawal as speaker.

Addressing newsmen in Lokoja the factional speaker, Hon. Godwin Osiyi expressed shock at the attack on the members at Reverton Hotel.

He explained that following the intervention of the state governor, Capt. Idris Wada who advised that they should take the part of peace, they decided to shift sitting to a later date.

He pointed out that he and other members remain resolute and that they have been sleeping from one hotel to another for fear of attack.

Osiyi stated that it was a shock when the younger brother of the embattled speaker led thugs numbering over 50 in a convoy of official vechicles to where they were, smashing three Prado Toyota jeeps and KIA Sportive SUV cars and carted away over N3 million.

According to him, the cars belong to him, as the new speaker, the deputy speaker, Hon. John Abbah, the majority leader, Hon. Mathew Kolawole, and the minority leader, Hon. Idachaba Salifu Isah.

The factional speaker said that their lives have been under threat since the speaker was impeached last Thursday, adding that no amount of intimidation can stop the group for carrying out their functions as members of the house.

Reacting to the insinuations that his younger brother led thugs to attack other members of the house, Jimoh-Lawal stated that he was not aware of any such attack.

He described the allegation as an attempt to give a dog a bad name, adding that mentioning his name was to tarnish his image and that he is from humble background.

He noted that his brother is equally from a humble family and could not have led thugs to attack members of the house of assembly, stressing that after all they all met with the state governor, with view to find lasting solution to the crisis.

Source: The Nation