2 Soldiers,2 Civilians Killed In Another Attack In Kogi,As Gov Visits Victims

WHILE the Deeper Life Bible Church was still counting its heavy losses to the ruthless Monday night attack on its church in Otite, Okene, Kogi State, four persons again died in an attack on the Central Mosque in the city on Tuesday.

Reports from Kogi on Tuesday indicated that the death toll in the attack on the DLBC during an evening service on Monday had increased from 16 to 20.

In a panic measure to curb bloodshed in the state, Governor Idris Wada has announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Okete town, while the Ispector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has ordered 24-hour surveillance in worship centres in Okene and other parts of Kogi State.

The dead victims in the Tuesday attack included two soldiers and two of the gunmen that attacked the mosque during the Tasfir prayer at 4.00pm.

The soldiers were killed in a gunfight with the gunmen suspected to be members of the violent Islamist sect, Boko Haram.

Our correspondents learnt that the attackers were dressed in white robes and  drove in a Hilux Jeep to the Central Mosque close to the Okene Local Government Council secretariat  while the Tasfir prayer was about to commence.

An eyewitness told one of our correspondents that a soldier stationed at the entrance of the mosque gunned down two of the attackers before they could proceed with their attack. But the soldier and another of his colleague were also killed in the ensued crossfire with the gunmen whose number was not ascertained.

The rest of the attackers that survived the gunfight were said to have escaped in the same Hilux Jeep before the arrival of other security agents.

The   Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, Mr. Muhammed Katsina, confirmed the incident to journalists in Lokoja.

Gunmen had similarly opened fire on a DLBC worship centre in Otite during an evening service on Monday and killed 15 persons on the spot. One of the wounded victims died on the way to the hospital while another four died on their hospital beds on Tuesday.

 The Tuesday violence came even as members of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Otite, Okene, were still taking stock of members killed in Monday night attack.

The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, a Chief Superintendent of Police, announced the IG measure aimed at arresting the situation in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.

“We have commenced investigation into the attack and we want to plead with Nigerians to furnish security agencies with information that can assist us in our investigations,” Mba added.

He said that the police were working with the Army, State Security Service and other security agencies to keep law and order in Kogi State.

The police described the attack as unfortunate and appealed to Nigerians to be patient with security agencies, pointing out that they were working hard to combat the security crisis in the country.

The police deputy public relations officer stated that the IGP ordered the deployment of additional units of riot policemen from other Squadrons to beef up the security arrangement in the state.

Mba quoted the IG as appealing for calm, promising that the perpetrators of the crime would not go unpunished. He however advised the general public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious movement to the police.

Before the attack on Tuesday evening, Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, had been thrown into pandemonium when a black polyethylene bag containing refuse and dumped at the gate of a church was mistaken for an explosive device.

The incident reportedly paralysed government business and commercial activities in Lokoja as residents flee the area.  Government offices and business premises were also promptly shut.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that security agents were deployed in strategic places, including churches and mosques in Lokoja on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, an Igbo youth group, the Igbo Youth Movement, on Tuesday warned that its members would no longer tolerate further killings of Christians in the north.

The IYM president, Elliot Uko, told one of our correspondents in Awka, Anambra State, that the group was calling on the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, to act fast and stop the killings.

Vice-President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Femi Asiwaju, condemned the killings of the DLBC worshippers.

Asiwaju urged the Federal Government to devise new strategies to ensure peace in the country.

Senate President, David Mark, also condemned the attacks in Kogi and asked Nigerians to be more vigilant in their daily activities, especially in worship houses.

Mark said, “We can no longer take our communal lifestyle for granted.  We should begin to ask questions when we find strange people and strange development around us.

“The dictum of being our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper has to be re-examined.  When  you find strange people and strange things around your environment, make immediate report to security agencies that are close to you for immediate and necessary action.”

He described the activities of Boko Haram as more daring and urged Nigerians to make information about the sect available to security agents or those who occupy elective offices around their constituencies.

Mark stressed that the attack on the Deeper Life Church, Okene, and other places of worship in other states was “ungodly and wicked,” adding that “Boko Haram members are not fighting for God and they must be exposed by those who have information about their activities.”