Pastor Sunday Atabo, the Zonal Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kogi State has been beaten to coma by suspected political thugs.
The hoodlums, wielding dangerous weapons such as AK-47s, cutlasses and rods in their numbers, invaded Atabo’s house in Aja-Odi Agojoeju, Ofu Local Government Area (LGA) on Saturday night and beat him to a state of coma.
A family member, James Adaji, said the chairman’s properties and other sources of livelihood were destroyed during the attack.
He said, “The hoodlums stormed his house with dangerous weapons, including AK-47s, locally made guns, cutlasses and big sticks. They beat him mercilessly to a stupor.
“Thereafter, they charged towards his property, destroying his cars and other sources of livelihood”
Speaking on the incident, the state secretary of the party, Arome Okeme, confirmed the hoodlums had wanted to set the house ablaze.
He said the SDP chieftain, also the General Overseer of Bible Believers church, Agojeju-Efakwu in Ofu LGA, is critically ill and admitted at an undisclosed hospital.
Okeme said, “But for God, they tried to set his house on fire with his family in it, but the spark wouldn’t light. Currently, Hon. Sunday Atabor is in a state of semi-consciousness, travelling from consciousness to unconsciousness”
The director of new media of the SDP governorship campaign team, ID Ijele, condemned the act, saying attacks on chieftains and members of the party had been happening and it was aimed at scaring the party leaders and voters from playing their roles in the upcoming gubernatorial election.
He said, “The idea behind this dastard act is to scare our leaders and voters from playing their role, including stopping them from coming out to vote on Election Day.
“We have been reporting such attacks, and we will continue to do so, hoping the security agents will rise up to the occasion to stem the tide of this orchestrated violent attack on our members”
The party, therefore, called on the commissioner of police, Department of State Services (DSS), Army, Civil Defence and other security agencies to intervene and bring the perpetrators to book.
