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Igala Kingdom Not Part of Biafra – ICDA

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The Igala Cultural Development Association (ICDA) has distanced the Igala race from the secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Chairman of the ICDA National Working Committee, Comrade Enemona Emmanuel Omattah who expressed the position in an interview with journalists in Lokoja, demanded that the group should immediately re-draft their map.

Omattah told the newsmen it was an error to include Igala nation in the Biafran map as they did not believe in succession but inclusion.

The former State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) stated that the age-long trade relations and intermarriage between Igbos and Igalas is not enough reason to deny his people their true ethnic identity.

“We are not part of their agitation. IPOB and Biafra cannot annex Igala nation.

“We are calling on Igbo people to stop including Igala land in their map.

“During the Nigerian Civil War, Emeka Ojukwu-led team bombed Igala land. Our land was actually attacked. The people that attacked us years ago cannot come around now and claim we are part of them.

“We are not part of Biafra. We will never be part of Biafra. Though we do business with them and even intermarry, that does not mean we are part of them.

“We believe in the Nigeria Project. We believe in the leadership of Nigeria nation. We have our issues with the Nigeria nation but we are not antagonistic.

“We will address our issues at the appropriate time, not by carrying guns and fighting. We believe in the corporate existence of Nigeria.This is the position of Igala nation,” he said.

Also  reacting to the inclusion of Igala nation in their agitation, an Igala community leader Dr James Odaudu advised the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to go back and study the history of the Igala people to be better informed.
“How can they include the Igala Kingdom in their agitation? What is the basis?” he queried
“Igala, as a people and a Kingdom,  are a very distinct, independent and autonomous entity,  who, before colonial territorial manipulations and distortions,  controlled vast areas of the present South East,  Middle Belt and North East of Nigeria”.
“It is incontestable that the Igala people have been short-changed in the current dispensation, but succession has never been part of our agenda,  not to talk about being part of the Biafran agitation. They may have their reasons for it, but we are not part of it”.
He appealed to the Federal Government to address the perceived neglect of Igala nation in its development agenda and appointments.

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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.

Read Also: Insecurity: Address reasons armed Fulani herders keep killing Nigerians, Ortom’s CPS tackles Buhari’s media aide
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.

Read Also: Greenfield incident: Bagudu, Badaru visits El-Rufai
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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More Troubles for GYB, APC, , as Tribunal declares Natasha Akpoti winner of Kogi Central Senatorial Election

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The election petition tribunal sitting in Lokoja has declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as the winner of the February 25 Kogi Central Senatorial election.

The tribunal Chairman, Justice K.A. Orjiakoin in his ruling on Wednesday said Uduaghan scored 54,064 votes to defeat his closest rival Sadiku-Ohere who polled 51,291 votes.

He urged Ohere to pay Akpoti-Uduaghan N500,000 for the cost of the petition.

Ohere is of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Recall that the Kogi East Senatorial Election Tribunal had, on Tuesday, sacked the senator representing the district, Jibrin Isah, on the ground that elections were cancelled in 94 polling units.

The tribunal also ordered Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a supplementary election in the affected 94 polling units.

The Tribunal Chairman, K.A. Orjiako, who delivered the judgment on the petition brought before it by Victor Adoji, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 25 February election, agreed with the prayers of Mr Adoji.

Mr Adoji, had through his Counsel, Johnson Usman (SAN), challenged the return of Mr Isah of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the ground that elections were cancelled in some polling units where the PVCs collected were more than the margin of his win.

The petitioner had pleaded with the tribunal to anull the election of Mr Isah, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Customs Excise and Tarriffs, on the ground that elections were cancelled in 94 polling units and ordered for a supplementary election in the affected 94 polling units in the senatorial district.

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Muri Ajaka Congratulates Shaibu Audu on Ministerial Nomination

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By Odaudu Ojone Grace

The Kogi State Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, (SDP) Alhaji Muritala Yakubu Ajaka has congratulated Alhaji Shaibu Abubakar Audu on his nomination as a Minister by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Alhaji Audu, son of one time Governor of Kogi State, Late Prince Abubakar was among the second bath of Ministerial Nominees sent to the the Senate by the President on Wednesday.

Reacting to the development the SDP Candidate celebrated the choice of Audu as a fulfilment of the electoral promise of President Tinubu to involve young Nigerians in his administration.

“Your nomination is a glaring testimony of the commitment of His Excellency President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to youths empowerment and political inclusiveness”

Ajaka said given the background, experience and antecedents of Alhaji Audu the people Kogi State are indeed proud that one of their best has been given the opportunity to contribute to national development.

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