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STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY, GOVERNOR YAHAYA BELLO OF KOGI STATE ON THE TRIPLE MURDER IN KOGI CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT OF KOGI STATE
PROTOCOLS.
The killing of three persons in Kogi Central Senatorial District this week greatly saddens me. Our hearts go out to the family of Abdulganiyu Aduki, an artisan who was killed around 7:30pm on Tuesday, 31st October, 2017 at Nagazi in Adavi Local Government Area. His wife and daughter were also shot during the incidence and are currently hospitalised due to their injuries.
We condole with them for their dead and join them to pray for the full and quick recovery of the injured.
We also commiserate with those left behind by Mallam Abdulmumin Yaqub and his friend, Mallam Ibrahim Otaru, who were gunned down at the home of the former in Ozuwaya, Bariki Ward of Okene Local Government Area around 7pm on Wednesday, 1st November, 2017.
From the information available to us, the brazen manner in which these cruel killings were carried out indicate they are premeditated assassinations executed for the express purpose of taking the lives of the deceased persons. There was also a clear intention to kill any hapless person who happens to be present at the time of the attack.
As soon as I was briefed on this dastardly incident, I directed the Police and other security agencies to track down the killers. Law enforcement is already on their trail and I have put the full support of my Administration at their disposal. I promise Kogites that we will leave no stone unturned till we find and decisively put these cowardly criminals out of business in the manners prescribed by law.
Our people must be safe in every part of Kogi State, especially in their homes. This has remained our preoccupation in Government. Kogites will bear us witness that in the nearly two years we have been in Office we have taken Kogi State from being one of the leading theatre of kidnapping, armed robbery, thuggery and violent crimes in the nation to her current status as one of the safest states to live and do business in Nigeria.
My Administration therefore considers these attacks as enemy action directed at unsettling the peace and security which we have returned to our people at great cost and nearly superhuman efforts. We are already fighting back strongly for our people. Kogites can rest assured that no one will be allowed to take us back to the past.
Over and beyond the general tight security measures we have always maintained all over Kogi State, we also paid closer attention to the Kogi Central Senatorial District in the provision of security infrastructure. This is because of known security challenges plaguing the the zone for many years now. The presence of Boko Haram returnees and other hardline elements is a particularly worrisome phenomenon. My Administration also established a Nigerian Army Forward Operations Base at Achoze in Okene Local Government Area some months ago which is doing a great job in helping to police the area more efficiently and effectively.
In times like this, it is important that we do not surrender to fear. If we do, that fear spreads like an infectious disease throughout our population, and the terrorists win. It is thus the duty of everyone of us to say and do only things which help to strengthen our Social Connections, not those designed to cut the cords of our Unity. Isolated incidents like this should be seen for what they are and not magnified out of proportion for any reason.
Mallam Abdulmumin Yaqub was a well known community leader, an Islamic cleric, a schoolteacher, and a Labour leader. In fact, he was one of the leaders who worked closely with Government and the Security Agencies to stem the tide of insecurity in Kogi Central, particularly the Okene Axis. Those who know him well inform us that he lived an honourable life. No one must be allowed to dishonour him, even in death.
I am particularly worried about utterances credited to the leadership of organised Labour in Kogi State in the media suggesting that Mallam’s death may not be unconnected with his roles as a Labour leader opposed to Government. Simply put, they have insinuated that this Government may have something to do with his death. They have also gone ahead to posit that their lives are not safe as Labour leaders. I am aghast at this manner of thinking. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the leadership of Labour knows this.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Labour in Kogi State has capitalised on horrendous tragedies which befell some of our citizens to malign the Administration in the most malicious way. In the last 3 weeks alone they have been quick to lay 3 tragedies at our door – the suicide of senior Civil Servant, the death of a family’s dear daughter from sickle cell anaemia disease and now the killing of Mallam Yaqub by as yet unidentified assassins, only to have the true stories surface a short while later contradicting their stories. Sadly, even when refuted, they have not been as quick to find the needed forthrightness to offer their regrets for accusing us falsely, or to apologise to the families they have hurt.
Nevertheless, let me assure Labour leaders that they have nothing to fear. Government is not after them. I am not after them. On the contrary, Government remains responsible for the security of their lives and properties, along with those of all other citizens of this great state. It is a responsibility which even they know that we take very very seriously indeed.
I therefore call on the Labour Leaders again today to be more circumspect with the sensational statements in the media, if for nothing else, to minimise the potential for fear and mischief mongering. As they ought to know, in our society these sort of unguarded comments should not be made by people like them who are leaders in their own rights.
Let me put it on record again that my Administration has no choice but to work for the welfare of both our Civil Servants and our people as a whole. It is in fact the reason we have undertaken some difficult but necessary public sector reforms. The benefits of these reforms are also becoming evident to all with each passing day despite resistance from some surprising quarters. Payment of salaries, which is the primary issue at stake now is being tackled head-on even as I speak. Non-payment should become a distant memory soon to Kogi State Civil Servants. Government is always ready to work together with willing partners to succeed in this regard.
‘The world we are experiencing today is the result of our collective efforts, and if we want a new world, each of us must start taking responsibility for helping to create it.’ –Rosemary Rhea.
In conclusion, Government calls for information from the general public which can help the law enforcement agencies speed up the arrest of those who killed our citizens. In addition, Government hereby offers a reward of N1m to anyone who provides information leading to their capture. I urge anyone with information to call our Toll Free Security Hotline 0705 889 0048 immediately. Utmost confidentiality is guaranteed.
May Allah bless the dead with jannah and give their families and loved ones sabr.
Thank you.
Signed.
ALHAJI YAHAYA BELLO
Executive Governor of Kogi State
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