By Oba Bolu
The Chairman of Yagba West Hon. Pius Kolawole has been kidnapped.
Kolawole was kidnapped on Saturday evening on his way from Ilorin, Kwara state capital to his home town of Egbe, the border town between Kogi and Kwara state.
However, the State Commissioner for Pension Board, Mr. Solomon Adebayo popularly called Akeweje who was in the same vehicle with the chairman was not lucky as he was shot died by the abductors right on the road.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Police Command said it has commenced search for the whereabout of the Yagba West Chairman.
Vanguard gathered that late Solomon Adebayo was shot dead on Saturday evening by unknown gunmen in his vehicle just few kilometers into Egbe town while returning from Ilorin Kwara State.
The Gunmen who were said to be Fulani was said to have used the military checkpoint between Kofi and Kwara abandoned after the military were recalled from road to carry out their attack.
The Gunmen alao shot the driver of the vehicle conveying the duo, have a machete cut to his hand before they hit him on his head with a big stick.
The driver was said to have fainted and only regained full consciousness the second day (yesterday) after they were conveyed to the Egbe Specialist Hospital; ,where he related the attack to police men.
The police attache to the chairman was said to have initialy drawn a gun battle with the Fulani gunmen, but when it was obvious he couldn’t withstand their superior gun battle, he dashed into the bush and abandoned the chairman and the commissioner to their fate in the hands of the Gunmen.
The Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), DSP William Aya who confirmed the incident in Lokoja on Sunday said Kolawole was with Akeweje in the same car when they were attacked by gunmen at Eruku.
Aya said that Akeweje was hit by gunmen’s bullet and died in the process.
He added that his remains had been deposited at ECWA hospital, Egbe while the whereabout of Kolawole remaimed unknown.
“The Commissioner Police of Police in the state, Mr Ede Ayuba, has deployed personnel to the area to search for and rescue the chairman from his abductors. The command is not resting on its oars to secure his release,” Aya assured.
However, the Special Assistant on Media to the chairman, Mr. Abraham Oloruntoba said the council cannot give any official statement on the situation yet.
“As of Saturday when the event occured, we didn’t have much knowledge of the attack, but thank God that the chairman’s driver has regained consciousness and has been able to tell us little about the attack.
“The only thing we know is that the chairman is missing. There has not been any contact from the kidnappers; that is if the chairman is in their custody, neither have will hear from the chairman to know if he escaped.
“The driver couldn’t say much because he too was attack and he lost consciousness. He’s just been able to talk today (Sunday).
Mr. Oloruntoba said the council will only make an official statement when the true nature of the chairman is confirmed.
Kolawole had in a meeting with Miyetti Allah early last week issued a riot act to Fulani herdsmen against destroying farmlands as the farming season begins in earnest in the council areas.
The incident has thrown the area into mourning.End
Credit : People’s Defender
