The speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly Ahmed Imam Umar and other lawmakers narrowly escaped death on Tuesday when some suspected thugs disrupted the house sitting.
The thugs arrived the venue of the chamber at about 1:40pm chanting, ” what kind of rubbish sitting is this, all of you should vacate this chamber or we kill you.”
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The Speaker was whisked out of the chamber, alongside other lawmakers who also scampered for safety through the doors.
Tension heightened as the member representing Igalamela Odolu constituency Friday Sanni who according to sources is their primary target was also whisked from the Assembly but his personal Assistant on Media Identified as Salisu became a victim of attack from the suspected thugs.
Despite an earlier assurance from the Commissioner of Police, Wilson Inaluegu, that the Assembly complex will be safe, and the presence of heavily armed security men from the Nigeria Police, Civil Defence, and Department of State Services, DSS, the thugs took over the chamber just as security men watched helplessly.
Journalist were not left out, as the reporter and Cameraman attached to the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and Silverbird Television were also Accosted by the thugs who made attempt to seize their camera.
Other Journalists from the correspondent chapel of the Nigeria Union of journalists ( NUJ) Kogi State chapter including DAILY POST reporter in Kogi State took the route of the Assembly fence to escape from the mobs.
It was gathered that the suspected thugs came with four eighteen seated buses.
Before the thugs took over the chamber, the 23 members present at the days sitting were deliberating on a motion moved by a member from Kogi West who is calling on the Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello to withdraw his decisions proscribing Kogi State University, Asuu which did not go well with the member representing (APC) Kabba Bunu , Mathew Kolawole, Apc Ajaokuta Bello Hassan Balogun, and Ahmed Mohammed, APC Ankpa 1.
But the Speaker, Ahmed Umar Imam, going by the majority vote in the House sustained the prayer of one of the motions thereby overruling the positions of the three opposing lawmakers.