Media and Political Trial: Abdullahi Halims

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For close to three months ago, 18 year old Obila Attah gave up his kidnap and “Penis stealing” gang to the Nigerian Police Force for what he described as “dem nor settle me well” from the video reports in the inventory of the African Television Authority, AIT. He named Yakubu Ahmedu as his boss who doubles as the ring leader of the human-butchering gang. In another irony, Yakubu (39 years) is said to have been the Chairman of the Ankpa Vigilante group for about a year. Here is a report dating back September, (http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/news/male-private-parts-dealers-arrested-in-kogi-state-photo).

On local Television, the 10 man gang were paraded. All of them in cohort of despair and remorse, alleging different confessions.

This happened in Ankpa. Months counted by.

Less than 72 hours ago, the same gang has fingered an Ankpa politician, business man and Kogi-Style philanthropist, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, popularly known as “Halims” as their “sponsor”.

Sponsor? In the first report above, taking their confessional statement, it was alleged that Yakubu Ahmedu ran this as a “business”. Something that crashed after the arms mop up by the Inspector General of Police because the local arms Ahmedu used from his vigilante armory was confiscated, he would later resort to recruiting local youths to resuscitate the business.

How does the transmutation into Halims being their sponsor jerk into the picture after many months of their incarceration?

(?)

Should it even happen that Halims was involved, would he be a sponsor or a buyer? When you sponsor anyone, they bring proceeds to you. If he was a buyer of their parts, was he fingered as such by someone who runs a human parts business?

Halims as he is popularly known has represented the Ankpa people in the State House of Assembly under the PDP Government between 2007 to 2011, (Ankpa 1 State Constituency). He is a Mining Engineer who worked in Enugu State for 17 years. He retired to install his business enterprises under “Halims Investment Nigeria Limited”, which deals in Real Estate, Oil and Gas, including Hoteliers. Halims works very hard that you would measure that he doesn’t live an opulent life. If he is into rituals as acclaimed, why would he sit at Halims Hotel like a receptionist to coup-in meager funds from a dilapidating economy due to global recession for many years?

This clearly shows a man with track record of climbing into success.  As we all know, especially in Kogi state, lazy youths with moribund creativity would think anyone who  succeeds amongst them must either be a criminal or ritualist. The hate-theory between the “rich Vs Poor” is also something very functional in the subset of that society. The pull-him-downs and bury him wickedness.

On the lips of many Ankpa youths who understand the political “hustle”, they would say “Halims is now broke and also stingy”.  How can a ritualist be broke?

At the foot of Ganaja Junction, Lokoja, you would find the popular Halims Hotel. He is one politician whom I admire because amongst all the people who were once in office, he remained in the state with his investments, employing thousands of labor and contributing to Community Development Services. Other men would take kogi fortunes to Abuja and other parts of Nigeria.

Background of his Indictment

Why Halims?

Halims is a core grassroots politician. He has a cult followership in Ankpa that he is known like Garri that doesn’t deserve any advert.

He would later decamp from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC to push his political luck.

He found favor amongst his contemporaries because of the singular virtue of his businesses which is also replicated in his political drive- grassroots penetration, consistency and understanding of the terrain.

He ran for the House of Representatives representing the Federal constituencies of Omala, Ankpa and Olamaboro. Halims as the gauge of the young and old is the most experienced with political structures of intimidating value running amongst others. This is a known fact which is a rare feat.

After he ran for his primaries and emerged. Some months later, a human parts business dealer would name him as their “sponsor” ordinarily because he shares the same local government with him and perhaps a deliberate political plot to keep him incarcerated.

Look at this logically, during the parade of the 10 man gang, the Nigerian Police hinted that the same gang group killed a Police Officer and confiscated his rifle at Ejule, Ofu Local Government Area, Kogi State. Which indicates that this is a cell criminal gang, scattered across local governments, but this event has been made about “Halims”? How can Halims run this gang across the state for human parts and still remain at the level of hustling with his businesses?

Two LGAs. Ankpa. Ofu. Halims, face of the group.

Laughable.

Then, you begin to understand that this is a smoking gun of an investigation that could open further revelation.

Why is this confessional statement coming after some months of their arrest? Did they write another statement or they delayed until after the APC primary elections?

Or,

The Nigerian Police respected him so much that they left him as a VIP until after they got tired and had to bring him to parade him hurriedly before cameras for a “confessional statement” which has not proven that he is indeed guilty of the alleged crime. A heist calculated at tarnishing him image to diminish his electoral value.

In our judicial system, anybody is an “accused” until tried by a competent court and found guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Why is he being paraded like a “convicted” criminal before cameras for his political scavengers to milk on?

Why has he not also been charged to court if the intention is not to damage his reputation?

Political trials may take a night but joy comes in the morning with more blessings.

 

 

– Promise Emmanuel (Kogi Rebel)


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