Popular Kogi state
socio-political activist and the national coordinator of Peoples
Democratic Party Youth Forum, Comrade Austin Okai has slammed Ibrahim
Kpotum Idris for mulling the idea of presenting Best Security award to
Yahaya Bello at a time kidnappers and armed robbers are holding the
state hostage amount to mockery of the good people of Kogi state.
According
to Okai, the people of Kogi state sleep with one eyes open and for IGP
Idris to present the security award to Governor Bello is questionable,
laughable and mockery of the death
Comrade
Austin Okai in a press statement made available to newsmen expressed
disappointment with IGP as he believes the award will make Governor
Bello seat back instead of standing up to the challenges of leadership.
Okai said: “Last week Mrs Blessing
Abraham was kidnapped along Obajana road and the next day her corpse was
dumped by the kidnappers.A Kano based business tycoon, Alhaji Ismaila
Zubairu was kidnapped in Okene, Alhaji Aminco, who hails from Okene, was
murdered by some hoodlums and his body dumped beside a cemetery in
Okene. Another person, Mr Oboju was also killed by an unknown gun man
along total filling station yesterday evening, also in Okene.
“Last
month, almost eight commuters were kidnapped along Ajaokuta, Itobe road
among is Hassan Ado, the former PDP chairman Dekina local government
area. Kogi state people sleep with one eyes open and for the inspector
general of police to come and give security award to the governor that
is doing badly is questionable, laughable and mockery of the death .
“Kogi
liberation forum to give award to Bello and the said award will be
presented by the Inspector General of police is tantamount to
compromising the security of the state in the hands of a group of
individual. Inspector General of Police shouldn't allow himself to be
used to score cheap political goal or for the sake of political
propaganda as an independent security body charged with securing the
country.”
He added: “Award at a time
that the people of Kogi state are losing family members to the deadly
action of kidnapping, armed robbery, murder activities in the state
amount to mockery, families are mourning their love ones who died in the
hands of kidnappers, the daredevil activities reigning in Kogi state as
a result of insecurity in the state amount to ridiculing the good
people of kogi state
”What is expected of the IG is to
encourage the governor and the commissioner of police in Kogi state to
beem more searchlight on the soft target and ensure the proper policing
of Kogi state not coming to mislead the governor, giving him this award
will make him to seat back instead of stand up to the challenges of
leadership
“This bad precedence by
overzealous and self-seeking groups if not nip in the bud will further
mortgage the security of Kogi state and the country in general in the
few hands of miscreants who actions are stooge like and discourage
adequate policing in Nigeria.”
Okai concluded: “Come
to think of it, how come is policy top hierarchy has become an
institution that mediate between phony groups and some state government,
particularly that of Kogi were the governor is unpopular as a result of
anti-peoples policies, may be the award is for militarising the seat of
government and made himself inaccessible to the people along with
frequent harassments.
“Could the award
be for hauling innocent, hapless and armless civil servants whose
salaries are outstanding for the past one year into police custody all
in the name of staff verification and endless screening exercise that
have shown all traits of failure in all its ramifications.”
But in a swift response, Kingsley Fanwo,
chief press secretary to Governor Bello, said the award doesn’t go to
people who completely eradicate crimes in the society because the
society will never be totally free of crimes and criminalities.
He said: "The
award is a special recognition of what the Governor has been doing so
far to ensure security of lives and property in the state. Before
Governor Yahaya Bello came in, Kogi was almost a failed state. Arms
proliferation, youth unemployment, political thuggery, the nodal nature
of the state and many other factors combined to make Kogi the centre of
crime.
"Governor Yahaya Bello came with
a blueprint to develop the state and make it rise up to fulfilling the
aspirations of her people. He knows this can’t be achieved in an
unsecured environment, hence the need to beef up security. The Governor
changed the security architecture of the state, launched the Operation
Total Freedom, provided patrol vans and modern technological gadgets to
law enforcement agencies and returned the confidence of the people in
their police.
!No security measure can
be effective without the cooperation of the people. Statistically, we
have improved tremendously and dramatically. That is not to say we still
not contend with few incidents of insecurity. In Kogi under Governor
Yahaya Bello, every life counts. We are moving forward."
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