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Tag: defend

  • Defend yourself: The Cliff-hanger theorem

    Defend yourself: The Cliff-hanger theorem

    • By Ray Ekpu

    A few years ago, T.Y. Danjuma, a well-trained and respected military leader in Nigeria had urged people in his state, Taraba, to defend themselves. I suspect that he said so in order to get the authorities to do something drastic to provide security for his people. Since then some other persons have called on their people in the light of the fierce insecurity in various parts of the country to defend themselves. This prescription looks attractive but it is pregnant with problems. The most recent call on Nigerians to rise up and defend themselves came from the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF). The forum condemned the recent massacre in Benue and Plateau states and told the people that the time for lamentation is over and that it is time for them to rise up and defend themselves and their properties. The statement was jointly signed by Oba Oladipo Olaitan for Afenifere, Dr Bitrus Pogu for Middle Belt Forum, Senator John Azuta-Mbata for Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and Ambassador Godknows Igali for PANDEF. They blamed the killings on suspected Fulani militia.

    My suspicion is that these eminent persons are fully aware of the danger involved in their prescription but are saying so out of desperation. They are also making this dangerous demand so as to compel the federal and state governments as well as the security agencies to wake up from their slumber and do their duty to the people of Nigeria. The truth is that in the unlikely event that Nigerians are able to get arms and defend themselves in their various communities, there will be what is called the Cliff-hanger theorem. The Cliff-hanger theorem states that each problem solved introduces a new and unsolved problem.

    This particular prescription if implemented or obeyed will obviously come from multiple complications. Let me raise the questions that those who are making this prescription must answer before we all hang AK-47 on our shoulders like the herdsmen we see in several videos.

    Question one: What quality of arms can poor people in our rural areas get to match the sophisticated arms that the terrorists and bandits hold?

    Question two: Who will buy the arms for them?

    Question three: Who will train them on the use of the arms?

    Question four: Who will supply bullets to them on a regular basis so that they will be battle ready all the time?

    Question five: Do they or do they not need licences to carry such sophisticated arms?

    Question six: If they need licences, how will people in the 774 local government areas acquire licences within a short time so that they can tackle insecurity effectively from now onwards?

    Question seven: What is the guarantee that if given these arms, they will not use them for other illegal purposes?

    Question eight: Will these sophisticated arms be withdrawn when peace returns to the communities?

    Question nine: If they are eventually withdrawn, will the terrorists and bandits not return with vengeance to these communities?

    Question 10: If the arms will not be withdrawn, won’t we be creating a lawless country with practically every adult carrying sophisticated arms?

    Question 11: Will the widespread availability of arms not turn Nigeria into a terror state where people will shoot each other for even minor traffic offences?

     I raise these questions because telling people to defend themselves is very attractive but I do not think that is the solution to the problem. The solution is in having people properly employed, trained and equipped to protect Nigerians and their properties as it is done in all the federations in the world. Federations such as United States, Canada, India, Australia, Brazil, Germany etc. have more than one police system. They have police structures in the regions or states and some of them even have local government police systems.

    It is a tragedy that Nigeria, a huge country of more than 240 million people of over 250 ethnic/linguistic groups who live in 774 local governments has chosen for decades to live only with one central police system, that is inadequately funded, poorly trained and poorly motivated. The number of policemen and women falls drastically below the international prescription.

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    Luckily, all the forces that were opposed to the creation of state police have now come to terms with reality and have admitted that no single police force can sufficiently police a huge country like Nigeria. During President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, he approved the establishment of regional security outfits in the Southwest called Amotekun and one in the Southeast called Ebubeagu. But the amazing thing is that these regional security outfits were simply established to fulfil all righteousness. They are not allowed to carry sophisticated arms, the type that the criminals carry. So what was the purpose of establishing them?

    For two years now, most interest groups that care about the security of Nigeria have now agreed that the establishment of state police is the answer to our current problems of insecurity. So what is the reason for the delay? The establishment of state police involves four bodies namely: the National Assembly, the president, the state governors and the state Houses of Assembly. If the National Assembly amends the 1999 Constitution and removes policing from the Executive List and lodges it in the Concurrent List, then the states will be in a position to create a police force in each of their states.

     Two issues have been the main objection of those opposed to state police namely: fear of abuse and where the money would come from for maintaining a good and well trained police force. The fear of abuse is real. Even the federal police have been abused from time to time. But the state Houses of Assembly would be advised, while approving state police, to provide some checks and balances to prevent abuse by state governors and other leaders in the states.

     The other problem is money. At present every state governor has security vote which is largely unaccounted for. The creation of state police would be a way of investing the security vote in a way that is accountable and transparent. The state governments can also raise money from the public in their states to support the state police.

    The delay in creating state police is unnecessary. The present high level of insecurity must not be allowed to go on. The National Assembly must act now by amending the appropriate portion of the constitution for the president to assent to without further delay. That is what will check the activities of the terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, herdsmen, cult gangs, pirates, ethnic militants, unknown gunmen and other criminals by whatever name they are known.   

  • Who will defend the realm?

    IS it possible for one man to hold a nation to ransom? Yes, a strong political actor can hold a nation to ransom and even lock down the government through his act of omission or commission. Since Senate President Bukola Saraki defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on July 31, everything concerning the country  has been revolving around him.

    Saraki defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and quickly announced that the Senate was going on two months break. The Senate will resume on September 25.  Ahead of its resumption date, however, there are some impending pressing national matters that require the attention of not only the Senate, but also the House of Representatives.

    A row has broken out over the reconvening of the National Assembly because its leadership and  the ruling party are on different pages. Both parties now view each other with mutual suspicion following Saraki’s defection to PDP and House Speaker Yakubu Dogara’s ambivalence on where he stands.

    The urgent national issues that require the lawmakers’ attention are the consideration of the budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the executive’s request for foreign loans to fund the 2018 budget. With the 2019 elections just a few months away, it is imperative that INEC should be empowered to enable it prepare adequately for the exercise.

    Unfortunately, its budget is held up in the political quagmire that has engulfed the country since the defection of the Senate president. Saraki’s defection has led to the politicisation of issues that should naturally not be tainted with politics. As the highest law making body in the land, the National Assembly should know the urgency of the request before it and act in good conscience for the benefit of the country.

    It did well by inviting the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, and some of his officials to sound them out on their requirements. The National Assembly cannot stop there. It has to hold a plenary session to consider the agency’s budget and pass it as soon as possible because the elections are closer than the lawmakers may think.

    It is only normal for the APC to fight Saraki over his retention of the Senate presidency after his defection to PDP. Saraki got the job in the first place because his former party, APC, is in the majority in the Senate. Having defected to the PDP, which is in the minority, APC is saying that he should vacate the Senate presidency. It is this fight between Saraki and APC or, better still, its National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, that is heating the polity.

    We cannot afford to play politics with issues that have to do with the social, political and economic development of the country. This is why all the gladiators should sheathe their swords in the overall interest of the people. As politicians, whether elected or holding party posts, they are expected to work for the people. Those elected, especially, are representatives of the people, more so those in the legislature.

    The budget and the forthcoming elections are dear to the people. The budget will enable the executive to get off the ground programmes beneficial to the people, while they will be able to exercise their franchise in the elections. As at today, Saraki remains the Senate president and chairman of the National Assembly and so the onerous task of reconvening that august body lies on his shoulders.

    Though he is fighting a battle to keep his position, which Oshiomhole is daily making too hot for him to occupy, Saraki owes it a duty to recall  his colleagues from vacation to pass the INEC budget and consider the executive’s request for foreign loans. How will the lawmakers feel if government is locked down because it cannot raise funds for key projects? How will they feel if INEC cannot carry out some of its functions because of lack of funds? They should put personal interest aside and allow the public interest to prevail in this matter.

    The National Assembly will not lose anything by reconvening to take up these key national issues. It is only natural for its leadership to harbour fear of a change in the aftermath of recent developments there, but that should not stop it from discharging its constitutional duty. The nation is greater than everyone of us, no matter the position we hold today.

     

    Redeeming SARS

    ON Tuesday, the Federal Government wielded the big stick against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), which has been in the news lately for mostly the bad reasons. We have heard stories of how SARS operatives kidnapped people and collected ransom from them. They were also said to have arbitrarily arrested people and extorted money from them. Many are said to be in prison today because they cannot meet the demands of some SARS operatives.

    The police high command cannot say it did not hear some of these stories because they were published in the papers. But in its characteristic manner, it turned a blind eye to those reports. Mercifully, the government has stepped in. The police are an important arm of any society. Without them, there will be anarchy. Painfully, our police do not know their worth and that is why they cheapen themselves before people who should grovel at their feet. It is not too late to redeem SARS because it has its good side, which I pray will manifest after the cleansing ordered by the government.

  • Charly Boy to defend homosexual daughter, others

    Controversial entertainer, Charles Oputa, aka Charly Boy has vowed to defend the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) right in Nigeria, his daughter Dewy being one.

    With Dewy revealing she is in a lesbian relationship recently, Charly Boy who sometime ago sparked rumour of similar identity, going by a suggestive photoshoot of himself and television show-host, Denrele Edun, announced his readiness to defend the LGBT via an Instagram post on Sunday.

    Same-sex sexual activity or marriage attracts 14 years imprisonment in Nigeria, but Charly Boy who, from indications is not himself a homosexual says he is ready to wear his activism garment again in defence of the LGBT in Nigeria.

    He recounted how he had fought for the rights of commercial motorcyclists, popularly called okada riders, as well as musicians during his times as president of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN).

    “All that I have done for over 50 years of my life is to root for the underdogs… Now I reactivate my fight in defence of the LGBT community,” he said.

    Dewy who, alongside her girlfriend has opened an Instagram page dedicated to their relationship and supporting the LGBT, had confessed it took a while for her parents to come to terms with her sexual identity.

  • Buhari: we’ll defend all Nigerians everywhere

    Buhari: we’ll defend all Nigerians everywhere

    • President urges army to stand for unity

    President Muhammadu Buhari was in Maiduguri yesterday –  to comfort injured soldiers and urge the Armed Forces to defend Nigeria’s unity.

    Besides, he promised to secure all Nigerians wherever they live in the country.

    He also promised to support troops on the frontline. It was all during a visit to troops in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, the epicentre of the battle against the insurgent group Boko Haram.

    The President, who marked the country’s 57th anniversary with military ceremonies in Maiduguri, said: “This administration is prepared to protect all citizens residing in all parts of the country.”

    There was a display of military hardware and a show of air power by the Air Force at the Maimalari Military Cantonment, which is the headquarters of the Theatre Command, Operation Lafiya Dole, the code name for the battle against Boko Haram.

    This is the first time ceremonies marking the nation’s independence anniversary have been taken outside the nation’s capital, Abuja.

    After inspecting the military guard of honour, President Buhari praised the gallantry of the armed forces for the success recorded in defeating terrorism in the Northeast and lawlessness in the Niger Delta.

    He said: “Under this leadership, there will be resources as much as the country can afford to support your operations. As long as you live and in service, your rights will be guarded jealously.

    “You must stand firm for your country. The centre is determined to hold. You must be loyal to the centre. If Nigeria breaks, you are the first line of losers, so you must stand firm for yourselves and for the country. The security of the country is in your hands and in the hands of God.”

    President Buhari reiterated his National Day Broadcast, warning that the country would not break up under his watch and dismissed those agitating for its division as dreamers.

    “Those who are making noise were not born, so they don’t know what we went through. They don’t know. I like to remind you that whatever happens, you are at the frontlines of the defence of the citizens wherever they live. This administration is prepared to protect all citizens residing in all parts of the country.

    “We are here today in Borno State to interact with you (troops) and to celebrate the 57th Independence Day Anniversary. I want to commend you for your sacrifice in the fight against insurgents. I am here as a morale booster and I assure you that we will continue to do our best to support you in the frontline and end all forms of terrorism in our dear country.

    “We as government will continue to improve on the economy to create jobs for the teeming youths. We are also determined to kick corruption out of this country. I was a state governor some time ago and Borno was my base. At that time, nobody thought Borno would witness any crisis, but I want to reiterate that we will do our best to restore peace in any part of this great country.

    “I personally commend Governor Kashim Shettima for his courage, that he stood firm throughout the criss. I assure you despite my health challenge in the last few months; I never forgot you and how much you mean for this country,” the President said.

    During his visit to injured soldiers, the President praised the fortitude of the “wounded-in-action soldiers” who were receiving treatment and wished them quick recovery.

    He interacted with them, including Sergeant Owen Eze who was shot in the neck during an operation in Gwoza.

    President Buhari inspected military equipment, newly-acquired and those refurbished put on display as well as some of the new acquisitions of the Air Force, including night-vision Mi 35 attack helicopters.

    Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Gabriel Abayomi Olonisakin commended the President for showing a lot of care for the Armed Forces.

    He assured the President that the military would continue to be loyal to the administration. He expressed their readiness to guarantee the sovereignty of the nation and the security of its people.

    The CDS said the visit would boost the spirit of the Armed Forces. He assured them that with better morale, they would fight better.

    Gen. Olonisakin added: “Over two years ago when the current leadership of the Arm Forces were appointed by Mr President, we were facing the worst time in our effort to contain  one of the greatest setback to our national security.

    “The menace of terrorism and insurgency represented by Boko Haram terrorists has brought about wanton destruction of lives and properties as well as destabilisation and displacement of large population in the Northeast.

    “It is on record that from the inception of the current leadership of the armed forces, the Boko Haram had controlled several local government areas in the Northeast thereby undermining the sovereignty of the nation.

    “But with the current leadership and the support from Mr President, our professional capacity across the two services has been enhanced.presently, all territories under Boko Haram have been reclaimed and librated and government institutions has been reestablished in some of the liberated areas.

    “We are now witnessing gradual return of IDPs to their respective ancestral home of their abode.

    “This noble achievement under President Muhammadu Buhari  has been widely acknowledged and celebrated by Nigerians and the international communities.”

    President Buhari cut the anniversary cake. He was joined by Shettima, Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, Gen. Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Abubakar Sadiq, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas, Theater Commander Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, Department of State Services (DSS) Director-General  Mamman Daura and Shehu of Borno Abubakar Umar  Garbai El-Kanemi.

  • ‘Media should defend democracy’

    ‘Media should defend democracy’

    Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has urged the media to be mindful of the  information they send to the public to safeguard peace, security and democracy.

    He gave the advice in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, at the executive session of the 13th annual All Nigeria Editors’ Conference (ANEC).

    The 13th ANEC organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), which held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has as its theme: ‘Nigerian Media: Balancing Professionalism, Advocacy and Business.’

    Represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mark Longyen, the governor counseled the media to embrace responsible reportage and developmental journalism as their watchword.

    He said: “The media can be very destructive when wrongly used, especially for political vendetta or mischief by the opposition or crisis merchants.”

    The governor noted that the country was passing through serious security threats, noting that journalists have a duty to contribute in dousing the tensions.

    He said: “Journalists should use their pens to safeguard peace, security and democratic governance rather than being used to fan the embers of hate and fueling the fragile peace by what they write.”

    Lalong added: “In this era of global terrorism and insurgency, marauding herdsmen, ethnic militia and a viral Hurricane Maria-like social media, where killings, hate-speech and fake news take centre stage, with uncensored news flying at the speed of light, I urge the Nigerian Guild of Editors to urgently take deliberate steps to curb unbridled media impunity by sanctioning culprits, considering the dangerous implications of such unprofessional acts on the nation’s democracy, peace and security architecture.

    According to him, “imbalance, inaccurate, inadequate or fake information, couched in hate or hatred can before, during or after a conflict, make people desperate, restless and easy to manipulate, thereby culminating in crisis of inadvertent, incalculable and unimaginable monumental proportions.

  • We’ll defend Nigeria’s democracy, says Buratai

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, yesterday said the Army will remain solidly behind the President Muhammadu Buhari administration while also maintaining its apolitical stance.

    He assured the citizens that the army is capable of defending the country’s territorial integrity when threatened.

    Lt-Gen. Buratai spoke at the Nigerian Army Day Interdenominational Church Service at All Saints’ Military Church, Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja.

    He insisted that the Army, under his watch, would remain loyal to the President and ensure the sustenance of the country’s growing democracy.

    He, therefore, urged officers and men of the Nigerian Army to remain focus, disciplined and loyal to constituted authority and ensure that they carry out their roles effectively.

    “I want to on behalf of officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army reiterate our unalloyed loyalty to the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “The Army will continue to remain apolitical while ensuring the sustenance of democracy,” Lt-Gen. Buratai asserted.

    The Army boss was represented at the Church Service by Chief of Policy and Plans, Nigerian Army Headquarters, Abuja Maj.-Gen. Chris Jemitola.

    He said it was his desire to transform the army into a more potent and responsive force that would effectively curtail contemporary security challenges.

    The army chiefhailedarmy personnel for their selflessness and commitment in the ongoing fight against insurgency.

    He said issues bordering on their training and welfare were being taken seriously and addressed accordingly, adding that “we will continue to do our best to ensure the comfort of our officers and soldiers including their families”.

    Lt-Gen. Buratai used the occasion to acknowledge and thank officers and soldiers “for their tireless contributions in making the Nigerian Army victorious in the fight against insurgents and in other internal security operations”.

    He said: “You have shown commitment, dedication, courage, resilience and the will to succeed.

    “You have all done very well and I am proud to be your Chief of Army Staff.  However, I will charge you to remain focus, disciplined and loyal to constituted authority while ensuring that we carry out our roles effectively.”

  • Bello to Igbo: we’ll defend your interests

    Bello to Igbo: we’ll defend your interests

    Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has assured the Igbo in the state that the government will protect their interests.

    He spoke in Lokoja through his Director-General on Media and Publicity, Kingsley Fanwo, following an ultimatum by some Northern group leaders in Kaduna State, that the Igbo should vacate the North.

    His words: “As a nation, our strength has always been embedded in our unity in diversity. Nigeria is home to all and we must continue to see ourselves as brothers and sisters in a united nation. Ethnic segregation is unacceptable to humanity and we must continue to wax stronger and unbroken as a nation. The God that created Nigeria is a God who believes in the strength of unity.

    “The Kogi State government, under the leadership of Yahaya Bello, wishes to assure all Igbo that they are not only safe in the state, but that the administration will continue to consider them as partners in its New Direction Agenda.

    “Igbo should go about their legitimate businesses and continue to contribute to our economy as a state and a people.

    “With the appointment of Igbo into strategic positions in Kogi State, we are making a strong case for social integration in Nigeria.”

  • NLC backs Amnesty International to defend the weak

    NLC backs Amnesty International to defend the weak

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has pledged to support Amnesty International Nigeria in defending the rights of the vulnerable in the society.

    Its President, Ayuba Wabba, stated this during a solidarity visit to Amnesty International (AI) in Abuja.

    The NLC also condemned the protest against AI by a group, Global Peace and Rescue Initiative (GOPRI), asking the AI to leave the country.

    The group claimed that an Amnesty report that accused the Nigerian Army of extra-judicial killings was false. Several civil society groups have since condemned GOPRI and pledged support for AI.

    Wabba said this had become imperative as rights of Nigerians, especially vulnerable groups such as women, children and the less privileged, were being trampled upon.

    “I want to assure you of the support of the NLC and the working class because as workers, our rights have been trampled upon several times. You are aware of the fact that across the states, salaries, pension and gratuity are not being paid as at when due. This is a violation of the rights of workers,” Wabba said.

    He, therefore, said the NLC needed to stand side by side with organisations like AI to continue to protect the most vulnerable groups against the powerful and the rich in the society.

    “We have documented some of these challenges that our people have gone through,” Wabba said, adding that the NLC would continue to partner AI in the fight for social justice, anti-corruption, good governance, accountability and in the dignity of the human beings.

    The NLC President condemned GOPRI’s protest at AI’s Abuja office on March 21, saying that the AI was an organisation known globally and had worked extensively on human rights in many countries.

    “For such issues to arise, especially the hiring of people to come and protest in this office is something that we condemn as organised labour. I really sympathise with you on what has happened.

    “Nigerians are already aware that this was a sponsored protest. It is something that is condemnable. We should not allow those business persons that have actually privatised protest as means of getting money to continue in the business,” Achese added.

    He assured that the NLC would not stop the struggle to ensure better life for the workforce, adding that it would continue to collaborate with the organised labour to carry out humanitarian services.

    Chairman Trustee, Amnesty International Nigeria, Auwal Rafasanjani, commended the NLC for the solidarity visit.

    Rafasanjani said the AI was a reputable organisation that works on accountability.

  • Ooni advises Yoruba to defend common interest

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has urged Yoruba monarchs and political leaders to disregard their differences and unite to defend the common interest of the race.

    The monarch spoke when he received the Alawe of Ilawe-Ekiti, Oba Ajibade Alabi, and his chiefs, in his palace at Ile Oduduwa.

    Oba Ogunwusi, who addressed his guests in Yoruba language, said he was put on the Ooni stool for a divine purpose. He called for support for him to fulfill that purpose and enjoined Yoruba leaders to shun competition and unhealthy rivalry, but allow God use them for His glory and development of the race.

    Oba Ogunwusi reminded the Yoruba people of their link to Ife and asked them to see themselves, wherever they are, as blood brothers and sisters who should work in the interest of the race.

    His words: “God is the Almighty and the only one that enthrones kings. We all owe him gratitude for his mercies and think of how to work together for His glory. We should do away with unhealthy rivalry and competition among ourselves.

    “As the Ooni, I am just the Adele (the one who holds forth for others) for all of you.”

    Oba Ogunwusi accepted Oba Alabi’s invitation to his fifth coronation anniversary on April 22.

    Oba Alabi lauded the Ooni for his peace advocacy and efforts to unite all sections of the Yoruba race.

    He said Oba Ogunwusi had proved to be a leader with an uncommon passion for the development of his people.

  • Family, APC stakeholders defend Audu’s son

    has risen in support of Mohammed, son of the late Prince Abubakar Audu,  the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 21, 2015, governorship elections in the state who was arrested and arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Court in Lokoja last Thursday on sundry charges, including armed robbery, conspiracy and attempted  culpable homicide, describing Mohhamed’s experience as political persecution of the highest order.

    In a statement signed on behalf of the family by the Oregoh Attah of Igalaland, the paramount ruler of Ogbonicha, the family lamented the media frenzy that attended the arrest and arraignment of their son on trumped up charges and affirmed their implicit confidence in his unimpeachable integrity.

    “We are surprised with the news of the arrest and arraignment of the son of our late patriarch, Mohammed on trumped up charges of armed robbery, conspiracy and attempted culpable homicide. We believe that Mohammed is a responsible man from a respectable background who would do no such thing as to bring disrepute to the name of our family. The story by his uncle, Yahaya that he was attacked and beaten up and that the attack was masterminded by Mohammed is purely a family matter that should not have been politicised to this extent.

    “Since the matter is already before a law court, we shall refrain from further comments for now, but suffice to express our utter condemnation of the apparently coordinated media frenzy that attended the arrest and arraignment, ” the family stated.

    In a related development, major stakeholders of the APC from the three Senatorial Districts of Kogi State yesterday rose from an emergency meeting in Lokoja with a damning condemnation of the arrest and arraignment of Mohammed Audu.

    According to Hon Kehinde Afolabi,who spoke on behalf of the group, it was unfortunate that members of the late Prince Audu,s  family were being hounded and persecuted despite the political nightmare the family is going through.

    “Why would people not allow the soul of the dead to rest well. Prince Abubakar Audu lived and did his best for Kogi State as governor. The least the authorities should do is not to persecute his family members, but to encourage them.

    “We hereby condemn in totality the show of shame where Mohammed was arraigned on what we believe are pure trumped up charges aimed at scoring cheap political points. Kogi is currently passing through some difficult times politically and we are of the view that all hands must be on deck by the various stakeholders to keep the peace and not to disrupt it,” the statement said.