APC chairman shot dead after fighting off abductors in Kogi — Police

The Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Naziru Kankarofi, has disclosed that the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Dekina Local Government Area, Yunusa Abu Ishaq, was shot dead by suspected kidnappers after he resisted being abducted.

Kankarofi said the assailants were reportedly unaware of Ishaq’s identity as a prominent political figure when they attacked him, stressing that the killing was not initially targeted at him because of his position as the APC chairman.

The police commissioner made the disclosure while speaking on Channels Television, where he provided an account of the circumstances surrounding the politician’s death.

According to Kankarofi, preliminary investigations indicated that Ishaq physically struggled with the abductors in an attempt to escape when they accosted him.

“In the case of the chairman, the kidnappers didn’t even know that he was the APC chairman. Because from our investigation, he struggled with them, he resisted being abducted, and as a result of that situation, they fired at him and he eventually died,” the commissioner said.

He explained that the circumstances surrounding the shooting suggested that the suspects were attempting to abduct the APC chairman when he resisted their efforts, prompting them to open fire.

The development has heightened concerns over the activities of criminal gangs operating in parts of Kogi State, particularly along routes and locations considered vulnerable to kidnapping.

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Kankarofi, however, assured that security agencies had intensified operations in the affected areas, saying the police and other security forces had established a strong presence in the locality.

“To the best of my knowledge, the police and other security forces have dominated the area,” he said.

The commissioner also addressed reports concerning another individual who was allegedly travelling with the APC chairman at the time of the incident.

Reports had suggested that the second person was abducted and taken into the bush by the assailants.

However, Kankarofi said he was unable to independently confirm the identity or current status of the alleged second victim at the time of the interview.

He explained that the relevant records and information needed to establish whether the person was indeed abducted or subsequently rescued were not available to him when he spoke to the television station.

The police commissioner’s comments come amid continuing security concerns in Kogi State, where law enforcement authorities have been conducting operations aimed at disrupting kidnapping networks and other criminal activities.

Security agencies are expected to continue investigations into the circumstances of Ishaq’s killing, while efforts to establish the whereabouts and identity of the other person reportedly involved in the incident are also expected to form part of the ongoing inquiry.