The new Counsel to the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Ogun state, Barrister I.D lzunya, on Thursday raised an alarm that his life and that of his immediate family were in danger.
Barrister Izunya currently representing NNPP in Court in its petition against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Dapo Abiodun and the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the omission of the party’s name in the ballot papers used in the last governorship election raised the alarm in a statement he issued.
The legal practitioner in a ” Save my Soul” message to the Ogun state Commissioner of Police, Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba and the Ogun state governor, Dapo Abiodun, tasked the IGP and Commissioner of Police and Gov Abiodun to deploy all legal arsenals to protect me and my family.
According to Barrister Izunya, “being a counsel to a political party should not cost him and his family their lives as he is only doing a professional job which he has been trained to do for living”, adding that his wife was attacked and was almost killed on Tuesday, June 13 but miraculously survived through the Grace of God and that the attack was allegedly politically motivated and that it might be as a result of his role as a counsel to the NNPP in Ogun State.
“I wish to use this medium, to inform the, Ogun State Commissioner of Police, the Governor of Ogun State, the Inspector General of Police and other Security agencies that my life and that of my family is in danger and they should deploy all legal arsenals to protect me and my family”, he said.
Barrister Izunya added, ” On the 13th day of June, 2023 at about 3pm my wife was attacked and about to be strangled by an unknown man. The unknown tall dark in complexion man knocked my door severally and knowing I was not around told my wife through the window when she did not open the door, that I sent money to her, my wife in reply told him that I didn’t inform her that I was sending someone with money and immediately the man left when my wife refused to open the door for him, not knowing he was still around the gate” .
“The man rushed in 10 minutes later when he noticed a neighbour that came to visit my wife just left. Immediately he gained access to my room he pushed my wife and she fell on the centre table and then to the floor in the presence of my two children who were crying. The man held her neck and almost took life out of her, but was miraculously saved by God”
Barrister Izunya stressed, ” When I arrived home from the office, I took her to Adigbe Police Station, Abeokuta, Ogun State, where she made official complaint .The surprising thing is that before the attack on my wife, different persons have been asking for my identity in the area and also I personally noticed persons peeping around my gate”.
“I am a lawyer of about 10 years at the Bar and all my years of active practice, I and members of my family have never been confronted by anyone until this moment of my involvement in the Election petition against INEC, Dapo Abiodun and the APC by NNPP”.
According to Barrister Izunya, ” The attack is coming few days after we filed our appellant’s brief at the Court of Appeal Ibadan. The fact I want those behind the attack to know is that I am doing my job and the attack is just to disturb my own peace as a lawyer, but does not stop the party from pursuing the case”
“I therefore wish to use this medium to inform the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, the Governor of Ogun State, the Inspector General of Police and other Security agencies that my life and that of my family is in danger and they should deploy all legal arsenals to protect me and my family”.