IN the afternoon of Monday, April 15, Abdulrazaq Jeje was hanging out with friends and members of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) factional group at Area 3 in Abuja when he saw an attack that almost snuffed life out of him.
He had gathered with the group led by Pedro Chibuzor Obi to plan Obi’s inauguration as one of the NAN’s factional presidents.
The inauguration was scheduled for Tuesday, April 16.
Jeje served as the secretary of the inauguration committee.
Soon after the brief meeting, they noticed a black car which drove by; not long after, a group of assailants arrived and descended on them.
At least 20 individuals armed with axes, cutlasses and sticks pounced on them, say eyewitnesses who spoke with The ICIR.
Even after sustaining several cuts, Jeje attempted to flee, but he could not because of multiple wounds on his body.
Family and eyewitnesses who spoke with The ICIR confirmed that the incident happened around 1 p.m., a few minutes after they had come into the garden.
Jeje identified his attackers to include Emonefe Lucky, NANS factional leader, who was said to have led the group that carried out the attack. Others he mentioned are Babatunde (Babatee), Akaba, who was said to be Lucky’s chief security officer and Decimal.
However, Babatunde has denied the allegations, noting that the accusers should involve the police.
When The ICIR reached out to Lucky for his reaction to the allegations, he neither picked up calls placed on his line nor replied to messages sent to him.
Backstory
The attack was said to have been prompted to stop Obi’s inauguration as the NANS president.
Speaking with several sources, The ICIR gathered that the national students’ body currently has two factional leadership, resulting from the election held late last year.
It was also gathered that the body initially planned to hold an election at the Old Parade Ground in Abuja, but security operatives stopped it and forced it to move it to another location.
The ICIR observed that while some section of students, including some NANS’ past leaders, held the election at Agura Hotel that same night, another group, which allegedly enjoyed the support of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Asefon Sunday, later held its election at the Old Parade Ground on the same night.
The election held at the Old Parade Ground was reported to have been riddled with crisis. This led to the death of some students, while many others were severely injured.
The election at the Old Parade Ground produced Lucky, while the election at the Agura Hotel produced Obi as the president of the student body.
At separate media conferences in Abuja after the elections, Lucky and Obi said their emergence had given NANS a new lease of life.
However, the senior special assistant to the president on student engagement, Asefon congratulated Lucky and the other new executives and charged them with working with his office to benefit Nigerian students.
In a statement posted on his X handle, Asefon said, “I extend my sincere congratulations to you, Comr. Emonefe Lucky of College of Education Warri, Delta State, Comr Akinteye Babatunde Afeez (Babtee) as the new President-Elect and Senate President-Elect, respectively.
“Let your actions and decisions reflect high standards of NANS and always strive to serve its members with dedication and integrity. May your tenure be filled with success, collaboration, and transformative initiatives that uplift the entire student body.”
Since then, the two factions have been at loggerheads for recognition by the authorities.
Jeje undergoes surgery, treatment worth over N200,000
According to Jeje’s wife, Yaqub Salmat Abolore, although the surgery went well, her husband is still in a lot of pains.
“Yesterday (Wednesday April 17), the surgery was concluded around 2 a.m.. Not until they finished the surgery, he could not sleep because he was feeling pain all over his body, he was seriously crying.
“The surgery cost N140,000, but we have been paying for other treatments before the surgery. Also, about three blood pints were donated.”
Family seeks justice
In an appeal to the authorities and the police, the family and friends of Jeje urge them to ensure that justice is done by unravelling his attackers who made attempts to kill him.
Jeje’s wife stated that since the incident, no suspect had been arrested or prosecuted for the crime despite the promise by the police.
“I really want Nigerians to help me because I don’t know what I can do. I don’t have anybody. That’s why I am calling everybody who can help me so that Jeje can get justice for what they did to him.
“I am calling on the police and the Nigerian government to help us and get justice.”
Although The ICIR reported that the Federal Capital Police Command vowed to investigate the incident on Tuesday, April 16, no details of the investigations have been communicated to the public as of the time of filing this report.
When The ICIR contacted Josephine Ade to inquire if any arrests had been made, she stated that ‘the investigation is still ongoing.’
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M