Kogi Guber: Falana petitions IGP, alleges Bello’s plans to eliminate Ajaka

Femi Falana SAN, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Egbetokun Olukayode, alleging that Governor Yahaya Bello plans to eliminate the Social Democratic Party (SDP) gubernatorial candidate in the Kogi gubernatorial race, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka. According to the senior lawyer, since Ajaka was nominated as the flagbearer by his party, the incumbent governor has taken it upon himself to ensure that his political party and supporters would not enjoy peace in the state or be allowed to exercise their fundamental rights of peaceful assembly and association.  Falana, in a statement he signed on 12th July, alleges that Bello uses his executive powers to launch a series of violent attacks on Ajaka, his political party and his teeming supporters as they have become victims of unwarranted harassment, intimidation and cheap blackmail. He posited that the illegal actions of the Governor are based on his desperate bid to install his cousin as the next Governor of Kogi State. The petition is following the recent attack on his client while returning from a thank you tour of the state on the 3rd day of June 2023, along with his team of supporters at about 12.30 pm after visiting the palace of His Royal Highness, the Ohimege of Koton-Karfi. The statement further stated that shortly after this incident, Gov Bello addressed his supporters on this incident wherein he referred to himself as a Lion returning to his jungle and our client as an antelope that crossed the part of the lion and threatened to deal with our client the next time he crosses his part. Falana, also revealed that, to follow up the incident, Alaka petitioned the Commissioner of Police in Kogi State and requested that the matter be investigated. However, rather than carry out an investigation of the said incident, our client is now being hunted around Abuja by the State Governor. He has dispatched a team of police officers to arrest our client and forcefully take him to Lokoja on trumped up charges of terrorism and treasonable felony. The petition reads: “In view of the foregoing, we urge you to cause an investigation into the allegations of threat to the life of our client, attacks on him and his clients, trumped up charges of terrorism and treasonable felony. “As a follow up to this incident, our client petitioned the Commissioner of Police in Kogi State and requested that the matter be investigated but rather than carry out an investigation of the said incident, our client is now being hunted around Abuja by the State Governor. He has dispatched a team of police officers to arrest our client and forcefully take him to Lokoja on trumped up charges of terrorism and treasonable felony Our client is an Indigene of Kogi State and the Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kogi State for the forthcoming 2023 governorship elections in Kogi State.  “Our client’s brief is that since he was nominated by his party as its candidate for the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi State, the State Governor, ALHAJI YAHAYA BELLO has taken it upon himself to ensure that our client, his political party and supporters would not enjoy peace in Kogi State or be allowed to exercise their fundamental rights of peaceful assembly and association.  “Consequently, it is our client’s further brief that the state Governor using his executive powers has lunched series of violent attacks on our client, his political party and his teeming supporters. The illegal actions of the Governor are based on his desperate bid to install his cousin as the next Governor of Kogi State. “Thus, without any legal justification, our client has become a victim of unwarranted harassment, intimidation and cheap blackmail. For instance, while on a thank you tour of the state on the 3rd day of June 2023, our client was attacked along with his team of supporters at about 12.30 pm after visiting the palace of His Royal Highness, the Ohimege of Koton-Karfi. “The dastardly attack took place while our client and his supporters were returning to Lokoja around the Banda Nataco Axis. Our Client’s convoy was attacked by armed gun men who were dressed in police uniform in official vehicles of the Kogi State Government. “Life bullets were sporadically fired directly at our client with the sole intent to assassinate him. While our client was lucky, some of his supporters were seriously injured and were rushed to the hospital where they were treated for different degrees of bullet wounds. “It is worthy to note that shortly after this incent the Governor of Kogi State addressed his supporters on this incident wherein he referred to himself as a Lion returning to his jungle and our client as an antelope that crossed the part of the lion and threatened to deal with our client the next time he crosses his part. “As a follow up to this incident, our client petitioned the Commissioner of Police in Kogi State and requested that the matter be investigated but rather than carry out an investigation of the said incident, our client is now being hunted around Abuja by the State Governor. He has dispatched a team of police officers to arrest our client and forcefully take him to Lokoja on trumped up charges of terrorism and treasonable felony. “Our client as a Nigerian Citizen, an indigene of Kogi State and a Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in Kogi State is entitled to the constitutional protection of his right to vote and be voted for. And in the exercise of this right, the Kogi State Governor lacks the authority to use state actors and non state actors to harass, intimidate and blackmail our client. “In view of the foregoing, we urge you to cause an investigation into the allegations of threat to the life of our client, attacks on him and his clients, trumped up charges of terrorism and treasonable felony. “We further demand that you direct the immediate demobilization of all armed thugs and killer squads

Group reveals plot by Gov Bello to abduct, frame SDP candidate, Yakubu Ajaka

The Alhaji Muritala Yakubu Ajaka Campaign Organization has alleged a disturbing plot involving Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and certain security chiefs which is aimed at suppressing the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Governorship Candidate, Alhaji Muritala Yakubu Ajaka. In a press statement signed by the group’s Director, Communications, Faruk Adejoh-Audu and made available to the NIGERIAN ANCHOR, the group said there is a conspiracy to abduct Ajaka and transport him to Lokoja, where he would be falsely implicated in fabricated charges and potentially face detention or even assassination. The details of this sinister plan, according to them, is part of an orchestrated effort to arraign Alhaji Ajaka before a Lokoja Court hastily, ensuring his indefinite incarceration. Remarkably, the State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Adeshina Yusuf, who had previously shown reluctance to investigate the campaign organization’s petition regarding an attempted assassination against Mr. Bello and his group of thugs and gunmen, is now reportedly tailing Ajaka at the behest of Governor Bello. “Details of the plan which began manifesting on Tuesday included hastily arraigning Alhaji Ajaka before a Lokoja Court to legally seal the plot to incarcerate him indefinitely. “In furtherance of the plot, the State Commissioner of Police Hakeem Adeshina Yusuf who had obstinately refused to investigate our petition of attempted assassination against Mr Bello and his band of thugs and gunmen who attacked our motorcade on June 3, 2023 is now stalking our candidate at the behest of Mr Bello to accuse him of been the aggressor in the attack. “Some gunmen in Mufti appeared at an address on Khartoum Street in Wuse, Abuja at about 12:30 pm Tuesday claiming they have been detailed by Mr. Yusuf to arrest Alhaji Ajaka for attempted assassination, gun possession, and terrorism as a result of the same attack carried ours by Mr. Bello and his gunmen. “Already Mr. Bello has put some of his friendly media editors and social media influencers on cue to disparage the SDP Candidate through stories and commentaries that will portray the candidate as a violent man,” the statement read in part. See the full Statement Below: FRESH PLOT BY KOGI GOVERNOR YAHAYA BELLO AND SECURITY CHIEFS TO SUPPRESS SDP CANDIDATE ALHAJI MURTALA YAKUBU AJAKA UNCOVERED The Alhaji Muritala Yakubu Ajaka Campaign Organization has uncovered a dastardly conspiracy between some security chiefs in Kogi State to abduct the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Governorship Candidate, Alhaji Muritala Yakubu Ajaka to Lokoja and frame him with trump-up charges with the aim of clamping him into detention and possibly assassinate him. Details of the plan which began manifesting on Tuesday included hastily arraigning Alhaji Ajaka before a Lokoja Court to legally seal the plot to incarcerate him indefinitely. In furtherance of the plot, the State Commissioner of Police Hakeem Adeshina Yusuf who had obstinately refused to investigate our petition of attempted assassination against Mr. Bello and his band of thugs and gunmen who attacked our motorcade on June 3, 2023, is now stalking our candidate at the behest of Mr. Bello to accuse him of being the aggressor in the attack. Some gunmen in Mufti appeared at an address on Khartoum Street in Wuse, Abuja at about 12:30pm Tuesday claiming they have been detailed by Mr. Yusuf to arrest Alhaji Ajaka for attempted assassination, gun possession, and terrorism as a result of the same attack carried ours by Mr Bello and his gunmen. Already Mr. Bello has put some of his friendly media editors and social media influencers on cue to disparage the SDP Candidate through stories and commentaries that will portray the candidate as a violent man. This elaborate plot is an obvious manifestation to stop the escalating popularity of the SDP Candidate in the November 11, Governorship Elections. Mr. Bello is a Governor whose administration has gained notoriety for violence, framing up opponents, and compromising the institutions of the polity to gain an advantage in the elections. Alhaji Ajaka has no record of violence whatsoever at any time in his political career, but in the last four months, the candidate and members of his campaign team have been at the receiving end of State violence from Federal security agents who have been obviously compromised to torment political rivals of Mr. Bello. We have cried out to all the relevant agencies of the state to rein in Mr. Bello and get him to play by the rules of engagement of electioneering to no avail. Where in the world is an interested party in an election allowed the pleasure to arrest opponents and clamp them into detention to prevent them from campaigning? This plot was hatched after a campaign outing by Alhaji Ajaka at Idah during which a mammoth crowd never before recorded in the history of rallies in Kogi State came to receive him. In the last Presidential and National Assembly Elections Governor Bello took several bizarre measures to intimidate the then-main opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the state by deploying earth-moving equipment to dig craters on several streets leading to polling units in the Central Senatorial District of Kogi State. The intimidation was so effective that the PDP had to cancel its campaign flag-off rally in the said Central Senatorial District. Two weeks ago, he procured security agents in the state to extra-judicially execute Mallam Kabir Bala aka Okwo, a thug he freed from prison and unleashed on defenseless citizens of the state at the dawn of the 2019 Elections. Okwo was among about 20 thugs he freed from custody across the state to use for violence and electoral mayhem in 2019. The moment Okwo was executed Mr Yusuf the police commissioner accused him of several heinous felonies. Yet Okwo was a revered member of the party who was even inaugurated by Mr. Bello as the Ofu LGA Coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Council. He was also one of the 67 delegates to the APC National Convention. At no time was he ever accused, invited, or arrested for any crime since 2019 until he openly renounced violence and