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Tag: Kwara State

  • Deceased Kwara monarch buried

    Remains of the late Etsu Patigi, Alhaji Ibrahim Chatta Umar were on Wednesday interred in Patigi,  Patigi local government area of Kwara state.
    The burial, witnessed by dignitaries from in and outside the state, was led by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara state.
    In his sermon at the occasion, the chief imam of Patigi, Sheik Musa Abdullahi, said that death is inevitable among creations of Almighty God, saying that everyone would taste death.

    Read also: Emir of Patigi’s death a great loss, says Lai Mohammed

    The cleric, who enjoined people of the area to emulate virtues of the late monarch, said that they would make his legacies last forever by continuing to love one another and live in peace and harmony.
    Sheikh Abdullahi said that the town and state would only witness progress and development in such atmosphere of peace and harmony.

  • Police want me to implicate Saraki, alleges Offa robbery suspect

    One of the suspects in the April 5, 2018 bloody bank robbery in Offa, Kwara State, Ayoade Akinnibosun, alleged yesterday that the police asked him to implicate Senate President Bukola Saraki.

    Akinnibosun alongside two other suspects, Ibikunle Ogunleye (second accused person) and Adeola Abraham (third accused person) gave evidence at a Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, how the police allegedly extracted statements from them under duress.

    The other accused persons, Salaudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran, were in court.

    The three accused persons alleged that the principal suspect in the robbery, Michael Adikwu, was shot dead by one Inspector Vincent attached to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

    The police high command had reportedly announced that Adikwu slumped in its custody and was taken to hospital before he died.

    IRT, with office in Abuja, is headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari.

    Akinnibosun, the first accused person, Ogunleye and Abraham were examined and cross-examined by their

    counsel, Mathias Emeribe and prosecution counsel, Razaq Gold, in a trial within trial on how they were allegedly tortured and threatened by the police to make confessional statements.

    Prosecution witness Inspector Hitila Hassan had last Thursday told the court that the suspects voluntarily gave their statements under his supervision.

    Lead prosecuting counsel Prof. Wahab Egbewole sought to tender the statements as exhibit, but defence counsel Mathias Emeribe objected.

    He argued that the statements were not voluntarily taken, noting that they fell short of the provisions of the Evidence Act, particularly sections 28 and 29.

    At yesterday’s proceedings, Akinnibosun alleged: “Abba Kyari told me to mention the name of Senate President Bukola Saraki that he gave me the guns for the operations. But I declined.

    “He promised that they would reward me handsomely and set me free if I could indict Senator Saraki. When I disagreed, they called some policemen to take me back to their cell. During this time, my hands were tied to my legs in the back. Their children are in America and Europe; you are allowing yourselves to be used as political thugs.”

    Akinnibosun said he was the leader of Kwara South Liberation Movement, a group that mobilised young, jobless graduates for the lawmaker representing Kwara South, Dr. Rafiu Ibrahim.

    “The essence is to secure government jobs for the boys,” he said.

    Akinnibosun, Ogunleye and Abraham gave graphic details of their horrifying experience allegedly in the police custody in Abuja.

    During one of their encounters at the police IRT ‘theatre room,’ they alleged that in their presence, Inspector Vincent shot dead five herdsmen.

    ‘The theatre room,’ according to the accused, is the generator room of the IRT’s office and it also serves as where suspects are extra-judicially executed.

    The trio alleged that it was in the same ‘theatre room that Inspector Vincent, otherwise known as ‘Mr. Torture,’ shot dead Adikwu for failing to indict them in the robbery.

    Ogunleye said: “They brought the late Adikwu to implicate us and he said he had not met any of us in his life. That was why ‘Mr. Torture’ shot him dead. “

    Justice Halimat Salman adjourned the case till March 25 for continuation of trial within trial.

  • Saraki’s defeat new beginning for Kwara, says Abdulrazaq

    The defeat of Senate President Bukola Saraki and his anointed governorship candidate, Razak Atunwa, in the just-concluded elections in Kwara State marks a new beginning, Governor-Elect Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has stated.

    He also attributed his victory and those of other All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates to divine intervention.

    The dismantlement of the Saraki dynasty in the state, according to him, has sign-posted total freedom for Kwarans, adding that “it is a new beginning.”

    The frontline businessman-turned politician added that the trouncing of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidates at all levels was borne out of God’s hands and reward of hard work.

    Mallam Abdulrazaq, who was represented by Abdulrahman Giwa spoke this in Ilorin, the state capital at an event to celebrate APC’s victory in the state.

    Read Also: I will perform far better than Saraki, says Oloriegbe

    He said: “We have seen the reward for hard work; the future lies ahead of us, as the people have spoken.

    “Our victory has shown that the people now know that the power resides with them. It means any elected representative that fails to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the voters will be shown the way out at the polls.”

    State Coordinator of BOCA Hajia Afsat B. Byll said that the whole country is watching the governor-elect “to see what we will achieve having won the elections.

    “For Kwarans, the victory is very symbolic in the history of the state politics, as no party has ever a landslide victory across all the three senatorial zones.

    “This is indeed a revolution by the people that led to great victory. We hereby implore all Kwarans to give maximum support for the incoming administration to move the state to greater heights so that the struggle for freedom and victory would not be in vain. “

    Hajia Byll hailed the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osibanjo at the polls, adding this achievement has made them game changers in the history of Nigerian politics.

    “For the first time, Nigeria conducted elections without acrimony. The president and his vice not only won, the election was also free and fair to which the international community testified. This achievement is an eye opener for all Nigerians to know that it is possible to have elections without unnecessary expenses by government and individuals.

    “Let it be on record that the success of APC in Kwara state and across the country can be ascribed to the milestone achievements of the Buhari administration in the various sectors.”

  • I will perform far better than Saraki, says Oloriegbe

    Senator-elect for Kwara Central, Dr Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, on Thursday declared that his performance in the ninth Senate will far outweigh the performance of Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

    Saraki, the current Senator representing Kwara Central, has represented the Senatorial District since 2011.

    Oloriegbe assured that his output for his constituents and the state in general will surpass Saraki’s performance for the eight years he would serve as a Senator.

    He spoke in Abuja alongside two other Senators- elect from Kwara State after collecting his Certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    He insisted that Saraki notwithstanding that he attained the position of Senate President did not set any standard of performance for any successor to study.

    He added that Saraki did not also leave any average for any successor to meet.

    Oloriegbe noted that Saraki by his brand of politics and ambition focuses more on national politics and not responsive and quality representation of the people of Kwara Central, his constituents.

    He said, “It is God that gives and takes power from whosoever He wishes. I thank the Almighty Allah for granting me the grace of being overwhelmingly elected as Senator for Kwara Central in the coming 9th Senate.

    “I have the pedigree of service to people and humanity as a trained medical doctor who has spent decades working with World Health Organization (WHO) and years on the political field also in rendering selfless service to people and humanity.

    “I was the majority leader of Kwara State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2003 under the late Governor Muhammed Alabi Lawal.

    “My focus in the Senate will squarely be on how to through legislative engineering, quality and responsive representation,  improve the lots of my people in Kwara Central and collaborate very effectively along with other federal lawmakers from the state with the State Governor-elect, Abdulrahaman Abdulrasaq in giving the state a new direction with regards to wealth creation and genuine development.

    Read Also:  Saraki, a legacy doomed to crash

    “The responsive representation I will put up for Kwara Central people within the next four years coupled with the required legislative engagements to be made on both the floor and at committee level for good governance in the country , will surpass whatever performance Saraki had rendered in the past.”

    The Kwara South Senator-elect, Architect Lola Ashiru on his own assured that the new set of elected political office holders in Kwara State at all levels will collaborate to give the greatest good to the greatest number of Kwarans in months to come.

    Ashiru said, “We are aware of the expectations on the ground and enormous challenges at hand but as people who are out to serve and not lord it over the electorate, Kwara will surely be better off with the change that had taken place in the state.”

    He said further that they would not disappoint the people of Kwara State.

    The Senator-elect for Kwara North, Umar Sadiq, said that he has the strong conviction that marginalisation that had been the lot of his area in the past under successive governments, would be a thing of the past.

     

  • Court adjourns hearing of Offa robbery suspects

    A Kwara state High Court sitting in Ilorin, the state capital on Thursday abruptly adjourned resumed trial of Offa robbery suspects citing security reports.

    The court had commenced sitting on the case at about 9am Thursday for the continuation of hearing as one of the prosecution witnesses Hitila Hassan continued to give his evidence in chief and was cross-examined by the defence counsel Mathias Emeribe.

    At some minutes past 2pm, presiding Judge, Justice Halimat Salman said “reports reaching us are not favourable for the continuation of the case today. I don’t have anything doing but the court had to rise for the case to continue tomorrow.

    “For the security of the suspects and all of us here, I have to rise. May God spare our lives till tomorrow for the continuation of hearing.”

    The five accused persons standing trial in connection with the April 5th, 2018 bloody Offa, Offa local government area of the state, Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salaudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran were in court.

    In his evidence-in-chief, Inspector Hassan said the confessional statement of the first suspect (Ayoade Akinnibosun) indicted the Chief of state to Kwara state Government, Babatunde Abdulwahab, political adviser to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, Lekan Alabi and one Adeola Omiyale.

    He added the first suspects alleged that he got the AK47 rifles allegedly used in the robbery incident from the above people, saying that informed their arrest by the police high command in Abuja. Hassan, who said he is an inspector of police attached to the Intelligence Response Team of the former Inspector General of Police, added that it is headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari.

    Hassan said he supervised the recording of the confessional statements of Ibikunle Ogunleye (2nd accused person) and Adeola Abraham (3rd accuse person), adding that he helped write those of the first accused (Akinnibosun) and 5th accused person (Niyi Ogundiran) and he countersigned as the writer.

    Read Also: Absence of witnesses stalls Offa robbery case

    Lead Prosecuting Counsel Prof Wahab Egbewole sought to tender the statements as exhibit but Mr. Emeribe objected.

    He argued that the statements were not voluntarily taken; noting that they fell short of the provisions of the Evidence Act particularly sections 28 and 29.

    Said he: “They fall short of the Kwara state Administration of Criminal Justice Law because as it did not show the voluntariness of the statements as stated, particularly as it concerns section 33 of the Kwara state Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2018.

    “Even in the absence of the law they did not comply with the judge’s rules. It must be understood that Kwara state Administration of Justice Law 2018 was created to protect the rights of the accused when statement of this nature is about to be taken. Failure to yield to these provisions will automatically render the admissibility of same null and void.

    “I hold the view that the statements have failed to pass the test of admissibility. I submit that they were not taken voluntarily as required by the law.”

    Reacting, Prof Egbewole said that section 33 of the Kwara state Administration of Criminal Justice Law is not applicable in the instance case.

    He added that “Law does not have retrospective effect, adding that the Kwara state Administration of Criminal Justice Law came into force December 3rd, 2018 and all these statements were recorded in May last year.”

    The presiding judge adjourned the case till today, March 15th for continuation of hearing.

     

  • APC’s victory in Kwara for Nigerians, says Lai Mohammed

    Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed yesterday described the dismantling of the Saraki dynasty in Kwara State as history, as well as victory for the state and Nigerians.

    He added: “It will be an understatement to say that the Kwara State election attracted the most comments in the country.”

    Mohammed spoke to reporters in Ilorin, the state capital, on the sideline of prayer and thanksgiving session organised for the All Progressives (APC) candidates’ victory at the polls.

    He said: “The victory of the APC governor-elect, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, is historic. It is not just for the people of Kwara State, it is for the whole of the country. Of course, that also means a big burden is on his shoulders, because the expectations are high.

    “What that means is that the people’s power is more important and stronger than the people in power. What the people of Kwara State had demonstrated is that they have discovered their power and that they are going to punish any government that does not care about their welfare.

    “They have finally realised that ultimate power resides in them. It is a kind of warning to all governments that if what happened in Kwara State is anything to go about, they must have the interest of the people at heart.

    “What this also means is that notwithstanding the popular support we got from the people, if we fail to perform, the same people will turn against us.”

    He added that failure is not an option for the incoming APC government, but called for understanding and patience from the public.

    Read also: Inconclusive elections: INEC, military compromised, says PDP

    “The expectations are very high and we must take advantage of their enthusiasm to ensure we deliver the dividend of democracy.

    “The honeymoon may not last over three months unless we do well. We can’t afford to fail them. In less than a year, people of Kwara will see a difference between us and the outgoing political dynasty. We appeal to (Kwarans) to be patient because it is easier to destroy than to build.”

    Kwara APC Chairman Bashir Bolarinwa thanked the party hierarchy and members for standing together while the struggle lasted.

    “But for the perseverance and understanding of our members and leaders and with God’s grace, we couldn’t have come this far.

    “We swallowed our pride and came together and remained united against all odds. We shunned our grievances for the greater good of our people. We thank all of you.”

    AbdulRazaq promised to pay more attention to the north senatorial district in infrastructural growth.

    “Kwara North needs special attention in terms of development. This doesn’t mean we will not develop other areas. We will. But there is total lack of infrastructure in Kwara North,” AbdulRazaq said at a get-together in Ilorin, the state capital.

    The governor-elect said everything would be done to justify the people’s confidence in him and other APC lawmakers-elect.

    He said his campaign tours of the state exposed him to the huge infrastructure deficits in the state, especially in the northern district.

    “We’ll (therefore) pay particular attention to Kwara North because it is totally deprived.”

  • Victory belongs to Kwarans, says Abdulrazaq

    Kwara state governor-elect under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq on Sunday said his victory at the polls belongs to the people of the state.

    Mallam Abdulrazaq said this shortly after his declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC) as the winner of the governorship elections in the state

    Said he: “March 9, the people of Kwara state finally shook off the yoke of political subjugation and socioeconomic stagnation by voting overwhelmingly for our party (APC) in the governorship and House of Assembly elections.

    “We give Almighty God all the glory.

    “We dedicate this victory to the people of Kwara State, home and abroad, who stood resolutely to see through the democratic revolution that started many years ago.

    “Much as this historic event calls for celebrations, we instead implore our people to reflect on the challenges ahead and the need to come together. This victory belongs to all Kwarans.

    “We are faced with the challenge of evolving a Kwara that works for all, away from the abysmal state of affairs now.. We promise to diligently implement our manifesto for the good of our people.

    “We salute all the heroes of this struggle, including all those who paid the supreme sacrifice.

    May their souls rest in perfect peace. We commend our party members, leaders at the local, state and national levels for their sterling efforts and contributions to this victory.

    “We thank our traditional rulers for their fatherly roles. We also commend the security agencies, electoral officers and other stakeholders who performed their duties creditably. We also thank the media for their professionalism.

    “Finally, we are grateful to everyone who supported the Otoge movement.”

  • Anti-graft agency nabs Kwara Finance Commissioner, AG, others

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday said it has uncovered about N1 billion cash withdrawal by the Kwara State Government a week before the last presidential and National Assembly elections.

    It also confirmed the arrest of six suspects by its Ilorin Zonal Office over the withdrawal.

    Those arrested and currently being interrogated include, Commissioner for Finance, Nurudeen Banu; Accountant-General, Sulaiman Ishola; Commissioner for Water Resources, Yusuf Abdulkadir; Head of Service, Susan Modupe Oluwole; Special Adviser, Commissioner for Energy, Eleja Taiwo Banu; Chief of Staff, Abdulwahab Yusuf; officials of the Secretary to the State Government, and those of the Government House.

    Investigations by EFCC operatives revealed that the said money was withdrawn from the state’s account domiciled with Sterling Bank.

    An official of the state government, Hafees Yusuf, confirmed to the operatives that he got instructions from his “boss” to withdraw some money sometime in February 2019.

    He said: “My Controller of Finance told me that the sum of N350,000,000 (Three Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) was paid into the account of Kwara State Government, and I was instructed by my boss to raise cheques of various sums of money, which I did and were duly signed by the Controller of Finance. I withdrew the monies as I was instructed by my supervisor.”

    A senior staff of Sterling Bank, who is currently being interrogated by operatives, revealed that the Accountant General, Commissioner for Finance and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, are signatories to the account whereN720,000,000 (Seven Hundred Twenty Million Naira) cash were withdrawn from the Kwara State Government Account domiciled in the branch of the bank located at Post Office in Ilorin between February 7 and 11, 2019.

    Three Relationship Managers of the bank, Rahaman Alimi, Akinleye Ademola and Olarewaju Sarafa, were said to be the ones who parked the said money in bullion van and personally delivered it to the Chief of Staff to the Kwara State Governor, Abdulwahab Yusuf.

    The bank officials further told operatives that they acted on the instruction of their “boss” who was identified as Rasaq Abolarin.

    Meanwhile, the officials of the Kwara State Government have been granted administrative bail, even as investigations continue. They are expected to be arraigned before a Federal High Court in Ilorin next week.

    The suspicious withdrawals were uncovered after operatives acted on a petition by a Non-Governmental Organization, the Kwara Coalition for Good Governance and Accountability (KWARA-CGGA) asking for the probe of over N1 billion loan the state government secured from a bank a few days before the general elections.

    Hassan Omoiya, Secretary General of the organisation, noted that intelligence had it that the state government obtained the loan on February 13 from a bank, using the remittance of Kwara State VAT allocation due in February and March 2019 as collateral.

    He further urged the EFCC to “determine the appropriateness of utilization of credit facility of N1 billion by Kwara State Government at the twilight of general election.”

    The Acting Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Tony Orilade confirmed the arrest of the suspects and the administrative bail given to them.

  • 37 political parties support AbdulRazaq, others in Kwara

    No fewer than 37 political parties in Kwara State yesterday  declared their support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for Saturday’s election.

    The parties, under the umbrella of Kwara Like-Minds Political Parties (KLPP), equally threw their weight behind the APC House of Assembly candidates at the polls.

    Addressing reporters in Ilorin, the state capital, spokesperson of the parties Prince Oladele Sunday directed their members to vote en masse for APC candidates during Saturday’s polls.

    Sunday said: “We are at a critical stage in our country, but most especially our dear state is already in political labour room and KLPP has joined hands with APC and other stakeholders in taking a successful delivery of a liberated Kwara.

    “Today is not meant for an unending discussion, but to let the whole world know that when the Kwarans are dying slowly in the hands of political tyrant, KLPP showed up. When Kwarans are groaning and gnashing their teeth under the bad governance in the state, posterity will be fair to us that KLPP showed up.

    “Finally, the members of KLPP hereby instruct our numerous members and appeal to the teeming voters in the state to come out en masse on March 9th to vote for all APC candidates. Let us all ‘show up’ so that we can all move from ‘o to gee’ to ‘o to pe.’”

    The state APC Chairman Bashir Bolarinwa said: “The forthcoming governorship and House of Assembly elections are equally important to APC. It is important to us as party and the people of Kwara State.

    “I want to say here that out of 55 political parties that are functional in the state, today above 35 have openly declared to identify with us. What that simply means is that all of them as members of these political parties are directing their members and appealing to the people of Kwara State to vote on Saturday for the governorship candidate of our party.

    “Further to that, all the 24 House of Assembly candidates of APC will on Saturday be candidates of their parties as well.”

    Also yesterday, a former member of the Kwara State House of Assembly Chief Wole Oke has said the victory of APC candidates in Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections will guarantee total freedom for Kwara people.

    Oke, who is the Jagunmolu of Shao, Moro Local Government Area, added that the current euphoria of the presidential and National Assembly elections victory should not blindfold the people into believing that all is well.

    He, therefore, urged Kwarans to come out and vote massively for the APC governorship candidate and all the House of Assembly candidates on March 9th.

    He said: “We can be partakers and active participants in the management of the patrimony and commonwealth of the state only if we vote massively for the APC candidates in the elections; this remains the only breaking away from the practice and tradition of the 16 years in the governance of our dear state.”

  • AbdulRazaq: we’ll run transparent govt in Kwara

    Kwara State All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has promised to run a transparent and people-focused government, if elected on Saturday.

    AbdulRazaq, who spoke during campaign stops in Ilorin South and Ilorin East local government areas., said: “The challenge is huge and we need to get down to work immediately. They have run out of ideas. Our focus will be to tackle unemployment, security and fixing the problem of poor infrastructure in our schools and so on.

    “We won’t divert your fund. We will serve your interest and restore our community values.  Let’s chase them with our votes. We will rebuild our schools and the infrastructure.

    “Our people cannot afford to give Senate President Bukola Saraki the fifth term he is seeking. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate,  Razaq Atunwa, is not the one contesting. We have seen how Abdulfattah Ahmed couldn’t do anything, except with the blessings of his boss. Now, Saraki is trying to impose his stooge on our people. This has to stop.”

    Cheered by thousands of party supporters and community folks, AbdulRazaq was accompanied on the campaign tour by the Senator-elect for Kwara Central Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe; House of Representatives member-elect AbdulGaniyu Olododo; and other top party chieftains.

    The APC candidate added: “They are not campaigning. And each time they come out, it is clear that it is Bukola Saraki who is seeking to rule Kwara through the backdoor. He is looking for fifth term. This will not happen in our state again,”

    Oloriegbe, for his part, called on Kwarans to vote for the APC governorship candidate and House of Assembly candidates to complete the liberation cycle in the state.

    He urged electoral officers and security agents to stick to their professional duties while the electoral processes last.

    But, no fewer than 15 serving Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) councillors in Kwara yesterday, defected to the APC, ahead of Saturday’s elections.

    The defectors, who were drawn from five of the state’s 16 local government areas, said they defected to APC in the interest of the masses.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that they were elected on the platform of PDP in November 2017.

    Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Suleiman Taoheed, representing Ajanaku Ward in Moro Local Government Area, explained that the PDP administration in Kwara had failed.

    They revealed that more serving councillors would join APC before Saturday.

    Receiving the defectors, Dr. Alimi Abdulrasaq, an APC stalwart and brother to the governorship flag bearer, said they would not regret their decision.

    Abdulrasaq noted that his brother, when elected, would ensure that local governments have full autonomy, and draw government closer to the people at the grassroots.

    He urged them to mobilise electorate to vote Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq and all APC state assembly candidates in the elections.

    The defected councillors are: Adam Tsado, (Edu), Ogundele Segun, (Isin), James Kayode, (Ilorin East), Aremu Jamiu, (Moro), Olorunrinu Suleiman, (Ilorin South)

    Others are: Omolara Sanni, (Isin), Adebayo Olatayo, (Isin) Saheed Abdulwasiu, (Isin) Saheed Musbau, (Isin) Adeyemi Oladele, (Isin) Suleiman Taoheed, (Isin), Ishola Seunayo, (Isin) among others.