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Exclusive: Tension as Fulani militia camps in Omala community to disrupt governorship election in Kogi East

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Working in synergy with the leadership of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN in Kogi State, Fulani militia are daily flooding Bagana, a riverine area in Omala Local Government Council in Kogi East Senatorial District, CAPITAL POST, reports.

Bagana, a community situated by the lower River Benue part of Kogi East once have a robust and thriving trade by barter transactions which has lasted for centuries, but got embroiled in communal clashes with Patanyi and Omagede communities claiming ownership of Bagana in few years ago.

Before the crises snowballed into uncontrollable level in barely eight years ago, it has all been animosity among residents of Bagana, Patanyi and Omagede, but in Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration, the communal clashes became deepened due to political interest introduced into it.
The cause of crises were due to revenue generated on market days as traders came from all parts of Kogi East, Enugu and Anambra due to its trade by barter and cheap food items including fresh and dried fishes which were majorly supplied by the Agatu speaking people.

When our correspondent visited Bagana in the guise of buying dried fishes, to the consternation of all imaginations, Fulani people have taken over the entire community and could be seen collecting revenue and issuing receipts to motorists.

It was also discovered that motorists plying Abejukolo, headquarters of Omala and Bagana road including those coming to the market from outside the LGA have surrendered their fate to Fulani impostors and were willingly paying levies to them.

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Apart from the fact that they look alien, and hardly speak ‘pidgin’ English, their Hausa accent is that of Nigeriens. Fully armed, each Fulani sighted has an AK47 including some on guards in readiness to pull trigger in case of any eventualities.

As at the time of CAPITAL POST’s visit to Bagana, no single residential building was standing on its own, no thanks to the last crises which the Patanyi and Omagede people unleashed Fulani hirelings on them.

The Bagana which was home to Agatu and Igala speaking tribe has completely been deserted after gun battle with hired Fulani mercenaries by the Patanyi and Omagede communities, thus, every houses are either reduced to rubles or set ablaze by the invaders. Currently, the residents have been turned into Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Abejukolo-Ife.

Political Interest/Crowding of Fulani militia ahead of Governorship election

Presently, the Fulani militia are flooding Bagana on the invitation of those earlier hired for gun battle by the Patanyi and Omagede communities for purposes of dislodging Bagana residents.

Speaking with one of Bagana’s youth leader who pleaded anonymity, he told CAPITAL POST that Fulani militia has gone beyond the communal crisis and has metamorphosed into Kogi State Governorship Election now. He revealed that the militias are crossing River Benue down to Bagana from the neighbouring Nasarawa axis. A development he said, was on the involvement of the leadership of Kogi MACBAN who chose to assist Yahaya Bello’s administration in the forthcoming governorship election in the Eastern Senatorial district.

Read Also: Senator Adeyemi commends Bello for appointing Okun people into government
He said, Bagana has become a camping ground for the militias preparatory to invade Omala in connivance with thugs loyal to the All Congress, APC who are familiar with the forest in order to make the affected LGAs inaccessible for election.

“I was in Bagana market and it’s fearful, the sophisticated guns being brandished by the militias. I can confirm to you that on Wednesday last week I sighted some militias coming into Bagana and currently their number has gone up to 300.or thereabout.

“The authority has interest in using them to distabilise Kogi East so that election will not hold”, the youth leader said.

In the similar vein, the President of Ife Development Association, IDA, Dr. Aaron Omale confirmed the camping of Fulani militias in Bagana for election purposes. He lamented how political leaders in the State and at the LG are feigning ignorance of strange faces in Bagana because of political interest.

According to him, the leadership of the socio-cultural group has scheduled a meeting with the traditional rulers in Omala LG in order to discuss the challenge and push it up to the appropriate quarters.

A local vigilante leader in Abejukolo, speaking on the development, admitted that there is tension over the presence of militia with the high calibre of weapons they are brandishing.

He said, they will remain law abiding, pray and calm, believing that government would take action at the right time.

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Meanwhile, calls and Watsapp messages sent to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Williams Ovye Ayah to react if the Police was aware of the presence of Fulani militias was not responded to before filing this report.

CAPITAL POST recalled that the leadership of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Kogi State Chapter on Saturday, September 16, paid a courtesy call on governor Yahaya Bello at the Lugard House, Lokoja.

The Chairman of the Fulani group in Kogi State, Umar Yusuf Damina assured the governor of their support for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Ododo Ahmed Usman.

The MACBAN leader in his address claimed that Bello has numerous achievements to his credit, saying that the governor has secured the State in past years.

In his welcoming address, Bello lauded MACBAN’s endorsement of APC’s Ododo ahead of November 11, governorship election, adding that he was “deeply moved by this display of unity,” while he reiterated his administration’s stance against any form of discrimination against the Fulanis in Kogi State.

He lauded MACBAN for its valuable contributions in sharing information and gathering intelligence, which had aided conventional security forces in identifying and eliminating criminal elements among the Fulani community in the state.

Governor Bello expressed his conviction that the Fulanis, known for their unwavering commitment to their word, would undoubtedly throw their support behind the APC during the November 11 polls.
(Source: CapitalPost)

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Politics

Group Canvases Objective Engagement with Tinubu-led Government

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By Victor Iko-Ojo

Irrespective of the challenges witnessed at the last general election that brought president bola Ahmed tinubu to power, a group known as ‘Good Friends Network for Good Governance’ has called for calm and understanding with the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government in the interest of nigeria.

This opinion was expressed by the convener Nwafor Chigbo Fortune in a an interview with our reporter at the recent civil society interactive forum in Abuja.

According to Nwafor, elections and court matters are over, hence the need for everyone to move on, irrespective of party affiliation, without prejudicing the need to ensure the delivery of the dividends of democracy to the populace.

“Nigeria belongs to Nigerians and failure to provide leadership will affect everyone” he said.

Chigbo Nwafor Fortune
Convener, Good Friends Network for Good Governance

Nwafor charged those in power to be magnanimous in victory and run a government of inclusiveness devoid of short changing any region due to political differences.

He reminded Nigerians of their civic responsibilities of holding government accountable at all times.

According to Nwafor, The Good Friends Network for Good Governance has been at the forefront of engagements for the entrenchment of enduring democratic principles and ensuring that the populace gets value for their electoral investment in their leaders

He therefore called on the opposition parties to synergise and not not relent in providing the much desired objective criticism whenever the need arises because a robust opposition is the panacea that keeps the government in check in a functional democracy.

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International

Liberian Presidential Election: George Weah Concedes, Congratulates Opponent Boakai

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Liberian President George Weah has called his challenger in the presidential race, Joseph Boakai, to congratulate him on his victory.

In an address to the nation he said “the Liberian people have spoken and we have heard their voice”.

The opposition candidate holds an unassailable lead of 28,000 votes with nearly all ballots counted.

A former world footballer of the year, President Weah has been in power since 2018. He will step down in January.
He came into the job on a wave of enthusiasm, especially from younger voters, having won that election – also against Mr Boakai – by a large margin.

But a perception that he had failed to tackle corruption, rising prices and continued economic difficulties tarnished his image.

Mr Weah was magnanimous in defeat, beginning his five-minute address by saying he had “the utmost respect for the democratic process that has defined our nation”, adding that he had spoken to Mr Boakai who he called the “president-elect”.

Earlier the electoral commission announced that Mr Boakai, a 78-year-old political veteran had 50.89% of the votes, while President Weah had 49.11%.

The president referred to the closeness of the race saying it “reveals a deep division within our country” and called on Liberians to “work together to find common ground… unity is paramount for mama Liberia”.

A long period of civil war in which an estimated 250,000 people died ended just 20 years ago.

When the latest set of results were announced earlier on Friday, they sparked celebrations in the capital, Monrovia.

Mr Boakai’s supporters gathered at his party’s headquarters in the city, convinced that he had won the election.

They called for President Weah to go, and chanted “we beat the Buga dancer” – referring to a song that became associated with his campaign.

The electoral commission says it has announced the results from 99.58% of the polling stations following Tuesday’s run-off election.
Image caption,
Mr Boakai’s supporters gathered at his party’s headquarters in Monrovia

The run-off between Mr Boakai and Mr Weah was triggered after neither candidate got more than 50% of the vote in last month’s first round. There were 18 other candidates.

In that vote, the president got the largest share and was just 7,000 votes ahead of Mr Boakai.

The poll was the tightest presidential contest in Liberia since the civil war.

Mr Boakai’s campaigning focused on the need to rescue the nation from what he called “mismanagement” by Mr Weah’s administration.

The president dismissed Mr Boakai’s allegations, saying he had made significant strides, including introducing free tuition for university students.

This is the fourth time a presidential election has taken place since the war ended.

Observers from the regional bloc, Ecowas, deemed the run-off largely peaceful, AFP news agency reports.

But there were isolated incidents that led to “injuries and hospitalisations” in the provinces of Lofa, Nimba, Bong and Montserrado, it quotes observers as saying.

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Politics

I Have Not Withdrawn From Guber Race – Admiral Jibrin Usman

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By Ojone Grace Odaudu

Lokoja, Kogi State, 2nd October 2023
..
Contrary to the rumours being spread on the social media that the Accord Party candidate in the forthcoming Governorship election in Kogi State, Admiral Usman Jibrin has withdrawn from the race, the former Chief of Naval Staff, popularly called Akpabana has debunked the claims.

In a statement by his media team, Jibrin described the rumour as a wicked and evil machination of frustrated political opponents who have seen the handwriting of an imminent defeat of their candidate on the wall and are bent on deceiving unsuspecting members of the voting public.

The statement which was signed by the Head of Campaign Media Team, Emmanuel Iyede advised the teeming supporters of Admiral Jibrin to disregard the campaign of calumny against the candidate and work towards his emergence as

– We, the campaign team of Admiral Usman Jibrin, the governorship candidate of the Accord Party, would like to officially address the ongoing rumors circulating in various media and social platforms. These rumors suggest that Admiral Usman Jibrin has decided to step down from the governorship race in favor of Murtala Yakubu of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). We want to categorically state that these rumors are entirely false and unfounded.

Admiral Usman Jibrin remains firmly committed to his candidacy and the people of Kogi State. He has not, and will not, step down from the governorship race. Our campaign has been built on the principles of transparency, honesty, and a sincere dedication to bringing positive change to the lives of the people in our state.

These baseless rumors are a clear attempt to mislead the public, sow confusion, and undermine the democratic process. We urge everyone to exercise caution and verify the information they encounter before accepting it as fact. The spreading of false information not only harms the integrity of our electoral system but also creates unnecessary anxiety among our supporters.

Our campaign is strong, united, and focused on the issues that matter most to the people of Kogi State. We believe in the power of the democratic process, and we are committed to running a fair, honest, and transparent campaign.

Admiral Usman Jibrin and the Accord Party are dedicated to providing the best possible leadership and governance for the people of Kogi State. We remain steadfast in our mission and will continue to work tirelessly to earn the trust and support of the voters.

If you have any questions or require further information, please feel free to contact our campaign headquarters at e.iyede@jibrinusmanofficial.org. We appreciate the support and trust of the people, and together, we will bring positive change to Kogi State.

Sincerely,

Emmanuel Iyede
Head of Admiral Usman Jibrin Campaign Media
e.iyede@jibrinusmanofficial.org

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