Scores of Kogi indigenes, on Friday night, 29 September, 2023, called on President Bola Tinubu and Governor Yahaya Bello to immediately put machineries in motion to curtail the excesses of thugs allegedly loyal to the Governorship Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the state, Muritala Yakubu, accusing them of being behind the gruesome killing of a supporter of the All Progressives Congress in Kotonkarfe and many cases of violence recorded lately in the state.
The over 5000 indigenes, under the auspices of Kogi for Kogites Movement, whose members are drawn from all the 21 Local Government Areas of the state, said, from non-partisan information gathered from eyewitnesses at the scene of the event, it was reliably gathered that the SDP thugs attacked APC supporters who were on a peaceful rally in Kotonkarfe on Friday, 29 September, 2023.
In a statement signed by the Coordinator, Kogi for Kogites, Ahmed Ojonugwa, the indigenes said the stock in trade of the SDP under the leadership of Yakubu was “to commit gruesome crimes and turn around to play the victim”.
The statement read in full:
“Miffed by apparent rejection by the people of Kotonkarfe during his rally and visit to the paramount ruler of the town, we have been reliably informed that thugs loyal to the Governorship Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, committed a sacrilege by gunning down a lady, identified to have decamped to the All Progressives Congress two weeks ago from the People’s Democratic Party.
“From our non-partisan field polls today, September 29, 2023, it was reliably gathered from eyewitnesses that trouble started when the SDP supporters spotted the large crowd of APC supporters who were staging a solidarity walk in support of Alh. Usman Ododo, the Governorship candidate of the party.
“Armed and hooded SDP thugs started shooting sporadically to disperse the APC supporters who were staging a peaceful walk. It was alleged that one Haruna Abacha, a supporter of the SDP in Kotonkarfe pulled the trigger that ended the life of the APC woman.
“The sacrilegious act of the SDP supporters is condemnable, criminal, undemocratic and should never be allowed to scale the hands of law.
“Their stock in trade is to commit gruesome crimes and turn around to play the victim.
“We call on the Governor of the state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure that these strange politicians, who have, right from the beginning of the SDP campaign, shown that they have nothing to offer Kogites other than hate campaign and violence, are seriously cautioned. Perpetrators of this gruesome act must also be immediately fished out and brought to book.
“Has anyone seen the Accord Governorship Candidate, Admiral Jibrin Usman (retd), being involved in this kind of senseless propaganda where human lives are traded? He is a well respected Igala man who has also pointed out the lies of the SDP in public fora.
“We call on the supporters of the APC not to take laws into their hands in the interest of patriotic indigenes. But if things go on this way, true sons and daughters of Kogi State would have no choice but to drag the SDP and its candidate to the highest courts of the land for this evil attempt to drag Kogi State back to the dark days.
“We also call on law enforcement agencies to immediately arrest the said Haruna Abacha and all his collaborators as well as question the security agents attached to the SDP candidate on why they watched thugs unleash mayhem on peaceful and defenceless people. This is unacceptable.”
