Muri/Sam Gubernatorial Campaign Council of the Social Democratic Party ( SDP) has alerted the Inspector-General of Police( IGP), The Director-General Department of State Security(DGDSS) of a planned attack on Fulani settlements in the Eastern Senatorial District of Kogi State in order to ignite ethnic crisis in the area before the governorship elections slated for November 11,2023.
In a petition written to the security Chiefs by the legal Counsel to the Council, Realwan Okpanachi Esq, the campaign called for urgent protection for Fulani settlements across the East of the state to preempt a depraved plan hatched by the outlaw State Government of Mr Yahaya Bello to ignite bloodletting in his desperation to suppress votes from the Senatorial District.
A copy of the petition which was sighted by NATIONAL ACCORD on Friday in Abuja, specifically named one Friday Makama, a notorious thug who is on the security files for his serial attacks on Fulani communities in the Igala-Mela Odolu Local Government of the State dating back to 2001 as the kingpin of the evil operation planned to commence from this weekend.
The thug who was recently hurriedly appointed the Director-General of an Illegal Directorate for the Recovery of Fireams by Mr Bello is detailed to despatch several other gangs of thugs to five Local Governments this weekend to attack herders and provoke them to a reprisal attack against the indigines of the area.
The thugs according to information available to the council, are instructed to open fire on cows and their herders in Omala, Dekina, Ofu, Olamaboro, and Ankpa LGAs. The five LGAs targeted for this despicable operation hold over 30% of the registered voters of the state.
The petition states that as part of the plan, if the Fulani communities in Kogi East refuse or delay in starting repraisal attacks, the government will hire mercenaries from the several groups of bandits in the North West to attack the targeted Local Governments. But if the herders fall for the orchestrated bait, the mercenaries will equally support them in causing mayhem across the targeted areas.
The petition further states that the campaign has gathered that the Bello Government, through criminal brokers, is already into talks with the notorious Turji Bello banditary gang in Zamfara State.
The said mercenaries will be unleashed on Kogi East beginning from the second week of October if the vicious plot to attack Fulani settlements by local thugs recruited by Makama succeeds this week.
The campaign described the plot as most despicable and malevolent, urging the security chiefs to take the alert seriously as Bello has no sense of limitation or proportion in his campaign of violence when he is desperate
The council pointed out that within this week alone, known thugs of Bello welding AK47 Rifles have attacked the communities of Ugwolawo and Ajiyolo-Ojaji to burn down houses and vehicles.
One of the cars is the official Public Address System carrier of the SDP plays campaign jingles at events.
The council equally lamented how the State Secretariat/Campaign Headquarters was set ablaze thrice and successfully burnt down including vehicles parked in the compound on 9th of July by a Senior Special Assistant to Mr Bello, one Abdulraham “Little” another notorious thug leading a gang of Ak47 welding thugs some of them dressed in police uniforms.
Even today, Thursday, 21st December, 2023 thugs a moving around in Kogi Government Toyota Hilux Pick-up vans destroying our campaign billboards across Dekina LGA unchallenged
The petition states that several acts of violence and provocation are Mr. Bello’s desperate ploy to bait our supporters into violence and then use thugs supported by rogue security operatives to unleash maximum terror on our members.
The council lamented the violence is sustained by Bello because that despite repeated outcries, the security agencies are not on record to have taken any actions to rein in the outlaws of Bello and restore the confidence of the citizens of Kogi that the Nigerian State can guarantee their safety and security in the pursuit of their civic rights.
The council appealed to Nigerians of conscience to add their voice to the plight of the endangered people of Kogi State who are threatened by the violent activities of a man who has taken the oath to protect their lives and properties.