Shinkafi Writes Embassies, Seeks Revocation of Yari’s Visa

Tobi Soniyi

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Zamfara State, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi has written to the embassies of the United States of America (USA) the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union asking them to revoke the visa of the former governor of Zamfara State for allegedly sponsoring militia groups.

In the letter which was also copied to the embassies of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates Shinkafi alleged that Yari had been stoking the embers of violence and inciting his supporters to violence all aimed at destabilizing the new administration in the state.

The letter reads: ”I am writing to demand for the prudential revocation visa of the former Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari for stoking the embers of violence in the state.”

He had earlier called on the Inspector General of Police to arrest and prosecute a former governor of the state Abdulaziz Yari for making statement capable of disrupting the fragile peace in Zamfara.

In the letter to the IGP ,which was also copied to the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Director General of the State Security Services (SSS) and the Office of the National Security Adviser to the President, Shinkafi said Yari should not be allowed to frustrate the efforts being made by the state governor Bello Matawalle to ensure peace reign in Zamfara.

He said: “Following the unguarded and provocative statements made by the former governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari wherein he was heard inciting members of his faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to move against the state government.

I hereby demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of Yari for disobeying the subsisting order of the security agencies banning any forms of public gatherings, political parties meetings and associations, rallies, across the state.”

The APGA chieftain  reminded the security chiefs that a few years ago the state witnessed series of crimes and unrests including abduction, torture and killing of innocent citizens in the markets, streets with bodies lying on the streets and nobody could stop the jungle justice that went on in the whole of Zamfara State during the tenure of the immediate past administration.

He warned that there was an urgent need to make sure the state did not fall back to that era of lawlessness.

According to him, Yari has been seen publicly calling on his factional APC members not to recognize the administration of His Excellency Bello Muhammad Matawalle as the executive governor of Zamfara State but to see him as a sole administrator.

He said: “Time without number he has rejected the 24th May 2019 judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria painting the eminent jurists of the apex court with all kinds of names.”

He alleged without proof that Yari was planning to disrupt the peace accord in the state.

Shinkafi stated that under the Nigerian constitution and the concept of rule of law, no one is above the law warning that Yari should not be allowed to be above the law.