By Abimbola Ogunnaike
A man named Akayama was gunned down at Anyigba, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State on Saturday, 25 February, 2023.
Akayama was killed by thugs who invaded the town to cart away electoral materials at about 11am on Saturday. The thugs took over the town, shooting sporadically and carting away electoral materials from different polling units.
The deceased who the locals claimed to be a graduate of Economics from the Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba was shot dead at a polling unit in Iji-Anyigba.
The thugs were said to have chased away voters from polling units at Dekina, Agbeji, Ajiolo, Abejukolo and Ejule communities.
It was also gathered that it was when the detachment of soldiers stationed at Ejule, a flash point in the east of Kogi got winds of the shooting incident that they rushed to the communities.
Residents of Agojeju- Ejule community also said that political thugs invaded the town on Saturday morning, 25 February, 2023, shooting to the air to scare them away from coming out to vote.
However, the Chairman of Kogi East Neighborhood Watch (KEWN), a community policing outfit, Surgeon Commodore Ahmed Abdullahi (rtd), appealed to politicians in the areas to call their supporters to order to ensure a free and fair election.
Abdullahi said the communities of Kogi East had got enough of electoral violence in the past which had brought sorrow and pains to the inhabitants.