THE family home of the lawmaker representing Kogi Central in the Senate, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has been attacked again by gunmen.
The house in Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area, reportedly came under attack late on Tuesday night.
Spokesperson of the Kogi State police command, William Ovye Aya, confirmed the attack to The ICIR.
“Yes, her family’s house was attacked on Tuesday through the early morning of Wednesday,” Aya stated.
He also confirmed that one suspect was arrested at the scene.
This attack followed a similar one on the lawmaker’s family home on April 15.
The ICIR reported in April that the Kogi State Police Command promised to probe the attack.
The State Commissioner of Police (CP), Miller Dantawaye, confirmed on Thursday, April 17, that gunmen attacked Akpoti-Uduaghan’s family residence in Okehi Local Government Area.
“Investigation into the incident has begun, and we shall get to the root of it. We will deal with those criminal elements that carried out the attack,” the CP said.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had raised the alarm in April that gunmen attacked her family’s house in Kogi, believing that she was there.
According to her, during the attack, security operatives and community members responded promptly and chased the attackers away.
“No one was hurt. A report on the incident was quickly made at the police area command of the LGA,” she stated.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had earlier urged Nigerians to hold Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo and his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, responsible if she and her supporters were attacked.
She raised the alarm in a post via her official Facebook page.
She reiterated the call, even though Akpabio, Bello, and Ododo distanced themselves from her claims and petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to summon or arrest her for questioning over the allegations.
The issue has since been in court as the Nigerian government dragged the lawmaker to court over the matter. The ICIR reported on Monday, June 16, that the Federal High Court rejected an application by the Federal Government (FG) to issue a bench warrant against the female lawmaker.
The ICIR reported that the case comes amid mixed feelings surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended from the Senate earlier this year. Her suspension sparked widespread criticisms and allegations of political persecution by Akpabio.
She had accused Akpabio of targeting her after she rejected his alleged sexual advances, claiming that her suspension was orchestrated to silence her.
She made the allegations after she refused to accept a new seating arrangement in the Senate Chamber, which led to Akpabio ordering the sergeant-at-arms to eject her from the chamber.
A reporter with the ICIR
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