The thugs numbering about 20 were said to have invaded the venue of an empowerment programme of the senator held in Okene, Okene local government area of the state.
Ogembe, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator had organised the empowerment programme where no fewer than 1000 women across the five local government areas in the senatorial districts were billed to benefit.
It was gathered that suspected political thugs allegedly invaded the venue with dangerous weapons at about 8 am, destroying the venue and injuring several women who came for the programme.
Loyalists of the senator that had gathered for the event were equally attacked and injured in the melee that ensued.
However, hours after the invasion with the deployment of heavy security, Ogembe held the empowerment programme at the same venue.
Addressing the beneficiaries and his supporters, the senator exonerated the governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, over the attack, blaming those who wanted to impress the governor for the incident.
He advised those who were behind the attack to desist from it and find another means of assisting the governor rather than creating a problem for him.
Speaking about the empowerment programme, Ogembe said the first phase of the programme involved the distribution of tricycles, motorcycle, grinding machines, generators, sewing machines among other valuable items were given to beneficiaries.
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The lawmaker also said he had provided 35 motorized boreholes with overhead tank distributed across the five local government councils.
Ogembe said, “Today’s event is a microcosm credit scheme for women and disbursement of 20,000 naira each to 1,200 women cutting across the five local government councils of Kogi central as direct beneficiaries of the second phase of my empowerment scheme”.
He noted that each of these beneficiaries was given the seed capital to start or boost their own business.
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