Former Zamfara governorship candidate and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Abuja on Friday.

The attack happened shortly after Friday mosque prayers when masked gunmen in a black Prado Jeep without a number plate blocked and attacked his vehicle.

Shinkafi briefed journalists in Abuja on Saturday, recounting the harrowing experience.

He appealed to the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

?My life was threatened today when some persons dressed in black, wearing masks, and carrying big guns blocked and attacked my car after Friday Mosque prayers in Abuja and zoomed off,? Shinkafi stated.

He stressed that the attack was a violation of his fundamental rights, including the right to life, dignity, and freedom of expression as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution.

?This attack is a violation of my fundamental rights as enshrined in Chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, including the right to life, right to dignity of human person, right to personal liberty, right to private and family life, and right to freedom of expression,? he said.

The incident is believed to be connected to his outspoken position on national security, especially his call for families of kidnap victims to stop paying ransoms to bandits. According to him, ransom payments only enable criminals to acquire more weapons and continue their violence.

?This attack may not be unconnected with my views on national security, particularly in Zamfara State, where I urged families of kidnapped victims not to pay ransom as bandits used the funds to acquire more sophisticated weapons for their attacks on innocent citizens,? Shinkafi stated.

He further urged the military to intensify its operations against criminal groups in the North West and across Nigeria.

?I called on the military to intensify their operations to flush out these criminal elements in the North West in particular and the entire nation, which will make the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu easier.

?Earlier in the week, someone had called my Abuja residence several times. I believe these calls were connected to the attack.

?Having served as the Chairman of the Zamfara State Committee for the Prosecution of Bandits and Related Offences, and as a Member of the Zamfara State Committee for Finding Lasting Solutions to Armed Banditry, alongside former Inspector General of Police MD Abubakar, I am in a position to address critical national matters objectively for the good of the nation,? Shinkafi stated.

He also revealed that his anti-ransom stance had drawn threats from notorious bandit kingpin, Turji Bello.

?My call on families of kidnapped victims not to pay ransom to bandits enraged the wanted bandit kingpin Turji Bello, who in a recent video threatened my life.

?Nigeria is the only country we have; we must join hands to make it great again in the spirit of President Tinubu?s Renewed Hope Agenda,? he declared. (Vanguard)

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