IG Urged to Name, Shame Perpetrators of Kogi Political Violence

•HURIWA protests planned demolition of Trademore Estate

Alex Enumah and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has challenged the Inspector General (IG) of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun to name and shame the perpetrators of the politically motivated violence and killings in Kogi State, irrespective of their status in the society.

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, expressed worries that the trend of violence before and during elections in Kogi State was a disturbing trend recycled at every election.

The group warned that the IG must put in deliberate efforts and necessary security measures to forestall any recurrence of politically motivated attacks and killings synonymous with Kogi, especially in the forthcoming November 2023 governorship poll.

Onwubiko, while addressing journalists in Abuja, observed that violence had resumed in full scale in Kogi as Governor Yahaya Bello’s two-term tenure of eight years ends in November.

While noting that Bello’s nephew and former Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi State, Usman Ododo, who emerged as candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), would be slugging it out with other governorship candidates, stated that hoodlums on Sunday, invaded the campaign office of the Social Democratic Party (SDP’s) governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka and vandalised the complex, pulled down a big billboard and set it on fire.

Onwubiko recalled also that Ajaka’s motorcade was earlier in June attacked by gunmen, with his campaign vehicles vandalised and some of his followers injured.

The group also added that in the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections in Kogi, there were reports of thugs attacking polling units in Anyigba and Dekina in the Kogi East and Mopa in the Kogi West as well as parts of Kogi Central, where voting materials were carted away by the thugs.

While recalling how a PDP women leader, Salome Abuh, was shot and her residence set ablaze in Ochadamu in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, during the state’s governorship election in 2019, HURIWA lamented that the killers only “got a slap on the wrists for the heinous crime.”

“The string of politically motivated attacks and killings in Kogi State is disturbing, especially in the last eight years of the Governor Yahaya Bello administration.

“IGP Kayode Egbetokun should carry out a comprehensive investigation of all the killings of political dimension in Kogi State with the view to naming, arresting and prosecuting the suspects and their sponsors no matter how highly placed.

“The police should also put in efforts to stop political violence that may mar the November governorship election in the state. Thugs must not be allowed to intimidate voters from exercising their franchise thereby allowing the powers that be foist and rig the election for their candidate,” he said.

Meanwhile, HURIWA yesterday, staged a protest at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) against the planned demolition of Trademore Estate, in Lugbe, Abuja to mitigate the risk of flooding in the estate.

Onwubiko, who led a group of placard-carrying protesters, described the planned demolition as arbitrary, unjust and an act of grave injustice.

“Today, we gather to raise our voices against this injustice. We demand that the FCTA reconsider their plans and seek alternative solutions to address any concerns regarding flooding and safety without destroying the homes of innocent families. We call upon the FCTA to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of its citizens,” Onwubiko said.

He warned that the move by the FCTA threatened to strip countless families of their homes and exacerbate the housing crisis in the country.

He referred to the alarming statistics by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria which estimated that 28 million Nigerians are lacking access to decent housing.

The HURIWA coordinator insisted the Trademore Estate was approved by the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) in 2004 and has remained a sanctuary for its residents who contribute to the fabric of the society for almost two decades.

The civil rights advocacy group urged the Permanent Secretary FCTA, Olusade Adesola to immediately halt all plans for the demolition of Trademore insisting the estate was developed in 2007 with the developers rightfully allocated the land after obtaining Development Plan approval.

HURIWA also expressed concern over the recurring collapse of buildings within the FCT notably the recent one at Lifecamp, which it described as another reminder for FCTA officials to prioritise safety and wellbeing of residents.

It called upon the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into these incidents and take immediate measures to ensure the structural integrity of buildings across the FCT.