A traditional ruler in Kogi state escaped death by the whiskers when gunmen accosted him on his way out of the mosque on Thursday.
The Ejeh of Ankpa, Alhaji Ahmadu Yakubu, escaped the assassination attempt at Eti-Aja Eid prayer ground in Ankpa, where the traditional ruler, in company of other Muslims, went to perform the Eid-el-Kabir prayer, NAN reports.
Alh. Yakubu who also doubles as the Chairman of the Ankpa Area Traditional Council told the News Agency of Nigeria that he was almost attacked by men numbering about 9 and wielding dangerous weapons including guns.
The timely intervention of accompanying palace guards who chased them away, he said, prevented him from being killed.
Furthermore, Yakubu said he suspected the attempted assassination attack on him to be the handiwork of secret cult and criminal groups in the area, whom he said he had openly and vehemently condemned in the past because they were giving the town a bad name and image.
“We are not bad people; we will continue to fight them; we will cooperate with security agencies to flush them out and bring them to book; we will not allow them to overrun Ankpa.
“It was in view of the escalating criminal and cult activities that we imposed a 7p.m. to 6a.m. curfew, to restrict movement of people. Now that they are after the Ejeh, I hope the security agents will be more serious,” Alhaji Ibrahim Abagwu, a senior government official at Ankpa Local Government Area told NAN.