ONDO LAWMAKER SURVIVES ASSASINATION ATTEMPT

SOURCE: SAHARA REPORTERS

An Ondo State House of Assembly member, Soji Akinkurolere, survived an
assassination attempt on Monday January 6th at his home in Okitipupa
in Ondo state thanks to one of his trusted aides.
Sahara Reporters reports that Mr Akinkurolere's aide foiled the
assassination attempt when 5 gunmen raided the lawmaker's private
residence. Akinkurolere escaped with his family, without harm.
"I was on the other side of the road when I saw a vehicle parked some
distance from the residence with men inside," a neighbor in Okitipupa
told SaharaReporters. "I was surprised when I saw a man, whom had been
sitting in the front seat of the car, come down from the residence and
start making phone calls. Immediately he dropped the calls, he tapped
the other guys seated in the back seat and they headed to the home of
Honorable Akinkurolere. The last thing I heard was sporadic gunshots."
The five gunmen turned up at residence Monday evening demanding to see
the Assemblyman. An argument broke out with his aide, and gun shots
were fired. The noise and call from the aide alerted Akinkurolere and
his family who escaped out of the backdoor.
Gunmen searched the residence for an hour and caused property damage
to buildings and vehicles with their random shooting.
SaharaReporters called the lawmaker and his family for comment, but
calls were were not returned.
Okitipupa Divisional Police Station would not comment on the
assassination attempt, but vehicles belonging to the Assemblyman,
marked with bullet holes, could be seen parked outside.
A source said the case had been turned over to the criminal
investigation department at Command Headquarters in Akure.
Ondo State Police Spokesman, Wole Ogodo, confirmed the case had been
transferred, and a business man has been arrested in connection with
the assassination attempt, and is helping police with their inquiries.
Sahara Reporters read the statement given by the suspect in which he
wrote he did not send anyone to kill the lawmaker.
In the same statement, the suspect said he was both a supporter of the
lawmaker, helping him win his assembly seat, and a frequent critic of
the lawmaker on social media.