The administrative headquarters of Okehi local government areas of Kogi state at Obagende was reportedly set on fire by unidentified people.
An eyewitness said that the incident happened around 11.50pm on Monday.
According to Muhammad Enesi from Obagende, the inferno was noticed few minutes before 12 am on Tuesday.
He said the hoodlums must have planted the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) which was detonated shortly, destroying the Bursary department of the local government secretariat.
Enesi added that many properties, including documents were burnt to ashes in the said office.
“We are lucky the fire did not touch the INEC’s office which is directly behind the bursary office at the secretariat. Many of electoral materials would have been burnt too. The explosion razed everything in the affected offices”, said Enesi.
In its reaction, the Kogi State Government has condemned explosion incident which affected Okehi Local Government Secretariat Complex, saying that the security agencies have been charged to unravel the masterminds of the attack.
The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Evangelist Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement, said the government had put in place further measures to keep the people safe before, during and after the elections.
“This is our responsibility to all Kogites irrespective of their political affiliations. Those behind this would be fished out and severely dealt with to serve as a deterrent to others in their league,” the statement read.
The state government therefore called on the residents of Okehi Local Government Area and the entire Kogi Central Senatorial District to remain calm, urging parents to properly guide their wards against being used as political thugs in the forthcoming elections.
“Government will be unsparingly decisive in dealing with issues of political thuggery before, during and after the elections,” he stressed.
Earlier, the state Security Adviser, Navy commander Jerry Omodara, (rtd) who confirmed the incident on Tuesday, said that it was the handwork of saboteurs who are out to cause panic to prevent voters from coming out to exercise their civic right.
However, he added that no casualty was recorded, assuring that security operatives have been drafted to the place to restore normalcy.
In the same vein, the Kogi state police command that confirmed the development, said that the situation is under control.
According to the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO),SP William Aya, the state commissioner of police , CP Hakeem Adesina Yusuf has deployed the anti- bomb unit of the command under a Deputy commissioner of police to the area to ascertain the kind of explosives used and other related matters.
“The fire only burnt some offices at the local government secretariat, not the INEC’s office as reported in the social media”, he said
He implored the people of the area not to exercise fear over the incident ,stressing that the command has put in measure to ensure their safety .
