A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Jonathan Vatsa, has on Wednesday condemned the attempted attack on the residence of Senator representing Niger East, Senator Sani Musa by suspected assassins in Minna the Niger state capital.
Vatsa while addressing selected Journalists in Minna described the attack as a dangerous dimension to the fragile peace in the state the former commissioner said the attack is not only worrisome but a dangerous signal in the build-up to the 2023 general elections.
However, the actual motives of those who invaded the senator’s residence are not yet clear as the Police have waded into the matter.
The former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism on Wednesday added that the attack is coming when the people of the state are beginning to heave a sigh of relief due to the reduction in the activities of armed bandits and other terrorists in the state.
The former Publicity Secretary pointed out that whatever their mission, a thorough investigation must be carried out by the police to unmask those behind the invasion.
According to him, “from the police preliminary investigations it is cleared that the Senator was their target, whether they were there to assassinate or kidnap him, what we are interested in is that the full weight of the law must be applied.
Vatsa who is the Coordinator on Public Affairs to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello disagreed with the claims by the suspects in their earlier confessional statement that they were sent by a whistleblower, saying that “do whistleblowers now carry guns in the country?
“If it is established that they were kidnappers, then the law against kidnapping in the state which was signed by the governor must be applied.”
He warned that any attempt to sweep the matter under the carpet will send a wrong signal to the public, adding that “that means nobody is longer safe in the state. Anybody can be a victim.”
As at the time of filing this report, the Senator is yet to comment on the incident nor make any statement through his media aide
However, the state Police Command while reacting to the attacks said that the senator was the target of the suspects but did not say what they wanted to achieve.
In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, one of the suspects was said to have confessed that they targeted the Senator at his home in Minna.
According to the statement, “Niger State Police Command wishes to state that additional facts emerged in the course of the investigation, as one of the suspects confessed further that the hoodlums led by the said Sherrif, presently at large targeted the Senator to his home in Minna.
“The hoodlums suspected that he could be at home, having attended a coronation ceremony at Kagara on the same date and possibly kidnap him.
“Fortunately, the gang met his absence, broke into the house and ransacked the residence in the presence of the purported search execution in the residence”.
