By Sir Ralph Okhiria
Commissioner for Youths in Edo State, Hon. Damian Lawani, has reportedly escaped an assassination attempt by yet to be identified gunmen.
Motive of the attack is yet to be ascertained.
The incident happened last Tuesday, when the gunmen attacked residence of the Commissioner at Udaba Ekphei community in Etsako West Local Government Area of state.
But luckily for the Commissioner, he was not in the house when the unknown gunmen paid an ungodly visit at about 11pm on that fateful day.
Obviously not happy with the nonavailability of the their target and to register their high level seriousness of their mission, the gunmen turned their anger against some parts of his residential building which they heavily defaced with bullet marks.
According to some sources, the gunmen’s bullets destroyed several properties. Lawani’s family members were reportedly in the house when attack took place. It was, however not ascertained if any human being was injured in the attack.
The assailants who promised to return to inflict pains on the commissioner, dropped a threat message pasted on the gate of the house with the inscription: “Damian Lawani, you are lucky we did not meet you at home. We promise we coming back for you. If you like, tight your security”.
It was further gathered that the vehicle that allegedly conveyed the hoodlums to Udaba Ekphei was packed at the Community Hall as it couldn’t access the road to Hon. Damian Lawani’s residence because of its deplorable nature from the tarred road axis.
It was learnt that at aboutOur source 7pm on that fateful evening, the generator in Hon Barr Damian Lawani’s compound was powered for the purpose of pumping water from the motorized borehole overhead tank serving parts of the community, may have created the impression that Hon Damian Lawani was in Udaba Ekphei Community.
Efforts to reach the Commissioner, proved abortive as several calls put across to his mobile phone were unanswered and he was said not to have been on seat when our reporter visited his office in Benin City.
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