Kogi Stakeholders Petition Inspector-General, List Out Crimes, Absurdities Allegedly Committed By Ex-Gov Yahaya Bello, Incumbent Ododo, Police Commissioner
They also asked the police boss to probe the incumbent governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo and Commissioner of Police in the state, Bertrand Onuoha.
Some indigenes of Kogi State under the aegis of the Concerned Kogi Citizens Forum, have called on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun to investigate alleged crimes, absurdities, illegalities committed against the people of Kogi State over the last eight years by former Governor, Yahaya Bello.
They also asked the police boss to probe the incumbent governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo and Commissioner of Police in the state, Bertrand Onuoha.
The leaders of the group, Benjamin Ipinyomi and Isaih David in a statement alleged that Bello and the Ododo who was then the Auditor General for Local Government squandered and laundered “with impunity as there is nothing in the form or semblance of development in the Local Government Areas to justify the accruals of such sums and the unascertained internally generated revenue.”
The statement read, “It will interest you to know Sir that the eight years administration of Mr Yahaya Adoza Bello was largely characterized by general mal-administration, suppression of the people, payment of percentage salaries to civil servants and pensions to pensioners and untold corruption. Within the period under review, the 21 Local Government Areas of Kogi State received a total sum of Three Hundred Billion, Sixty-Nine Million, Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Three Naira, Fifty-Eight Kobo (#300, 069, 350, 703. 58) only as statutory revenue from the Federation account through the State/Local Government joint account which was managed by the trio of Mr Yahaya Adoza Bello as the then Governor of the State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo as the Auditor General for Local Government and the State Accountant General who handpicked some semi-illiterates as their stooge in the 21 Local Government Areas with the sole mandate of rubber stamping their syphoning strategy.
“Sir, may we further state that in designing their well-orchestrated strategy for the pilfering of the Local Government resources which equally include an unaccounted humongous sums as internally generated revenue, Alhaji Yahaya Bello through the then Auditor General for Local Government instituted a criminally minded screening exercise/staff auditing of local government staff which last for over 3 years where staff of the 21 Local Governments were subjected to the most harrowing experiences in history of staff auditing as ridiculous criteria and conditions were put in place with the aim of forcing countless staff out of service and placing countless staff on some indeterminable not-cleared list with the attending consequences of such staff not been sacked and yet not entitled to salaries and every other emoluments.
“The foregoing unfortunate scenario left the Local Government system and structure as a tier of government in Kogi state totally destroyed with a chequered and de-moralized civil service who were largely classified under the ‘Un-cleared List’ and yet those who painstakingly escaped the clearance trap were yet subjected to the payment of percentage salaries ranging from 25-40 percent of each staff entitled remuneration. The foregoing scenario which was largely coordinated by the present Governor of the State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo prevailed for the period of the entire lifespan of the Yahaya Bello’s administration and thus left the entire accrued sum of Three Hundred Billion, Sixty-Nine Million, Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Three Naira, Fifty-Eight Kobo (#300, 069, 350, 703. 58) either stolen, squandered or laundered with impunity as there is nothing in the form or semblance of development in the Local Government Areas to justify the accruals of such sums and the unascertained internally generated revenue.
“May we further state in passing that the state government received Billions of Naira under the bailout programme of the government of President Muhammed Buhari for the payment of arrears of salaries and other emoluments to staff of the state government and pensioners but unfortunately the said sums were invested in private accounts by Alhaji Yahaya Bello which sums were to be later traced and recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and returned to the coffers of the Federation, again, a huge lost to the good people of Kogi state whose staff have continue to groan under non payment of salaries or payment of percentage salaries and lack of infrastructural development in all ramifications.
“Sir, the time and administration of Mr Yahaya Adoza Bello witnessed an unprecedented record of state politically motivated assassination of citizens and violence against descent and political opposition which were largely orchestrated by the then Governor Yahaya Bello, executed by his political thugs including Hon Bashir Gegu, Mr Friday Makama and more and perfected by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Bertrand Onuoha. The reign of assassination, violence and silencing of political decent and opposition voices was on a very massive scale within the lifespan of the administration of Yahaya Bello and countless cries and petitions were forwarded to your office but none has been conclusively investigated and brought to an end.”
Listing examples, the group said, “ i. in a build up to the 2019 Kogi state Gubernatorial election, there was a surge of state sponsored political victimization, violence and brutalization. Our people were been assaulted, victimized and even assassinated in large numbers, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Adaji, a member of the then People’s Democratic Party in the Ajiolo/Biraidu ward of Dekina Local Government was roundly arrested with several other party loyalists, paraded as thugs and subjected to indescribable and harrowing humiliation and victimization.
“ii. Mrs Salome Abuh, a Woman Leader of the opposition People’s Democratic Party, Ochadamu/Ejule ward in Ofu Local Government Area was gruesomely murdered during the November, 2019 governorship election in Ochadamu where she was set ablaze in her home by a gang of thugs led by one notorious criminal Mr Kebiru Mohammed (AKA Okwo) an incarcerated criminal whom Yahaya Bello got released through state pardon and later engaged him in political nefarious activities.
“iii. The countless attack on the life of Senator Dino Daniel Melaye and his untold legal prosecution which all came to nothing as sponsored by Gov Yahaya Bello.
“iv. In the wake of the 2023 gubernatorial election, Mr Yahaya Bello caused his then Commissioner of Solid Minerals Alhaji Bashir Gegu to lead a gang of armed men who attacked the convoy of the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka at Koton-Karfi where he was bid to address a gathering of supporters, live ammunitions were fired at him and his convoy and he only escaped death by the whisker , a number of persons were killed and several were injured.
“v. Also as a build up to the said election in June, 2023, Gov Yahaya Bello having failed to secure the support of his previous hench man, Alhaji Mohammed Kebiiru (Okwo), instituted the most vicious state campaign against a citizen in recent times by deploying armed men, officers of the Police Force, the Department of the State Security Services and the Nigerian Navy (which was coordinated by the State Police Commissioner, Mr Bertrand Onuoha) who first launched an attack against and destroyed the private home and business properties of the said Kebiru and subsequently launched a more devious attack against him and had him gruesomely murdered in the most bizarre manner, an operation which also caused the death of two other innocent citizens all extra-judicially.
“vi. On the 18th October, 2023, one Mr Friday Makama, a known political thug loyal to Alhaji Yahaya Bello led a state sponsored criminal gang comprising men of the Kogi state command of the Nigeria Police Force, political thugs and officers of the Department of the State Security Services on an attack against the convoy of the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka at Okpachala road in Igala-Mela Local Government Area and in the ensuing melee, an Inspector of Police was arrested who confessed to have been on an illegal duty with the gang on a mission to attack the SDP’s convoy, he was subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Police, Idah Area Command office for further interrogation.
“vii. The peak of the senseless reign of attack of Yahaya Bello against the people of Kogi State was the grand planned attack of 7th November, 2023 where the house of the Director General of the SDP Gubernatorial Campaign Council was attacked on the orders of Yahaya Bello through the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Bertrand Onuoha where the life of an officer of the Nigerian Police Force was gruesomely taken by his fellow officers and several officers of the campaign council were adopted and taken into custody under the most hazardous circumstances and were only released after your intervention and the cries of the general public including international community.
“Sir, may we add that the senseless and primitive reign of terror of Yahaya Bello and his surrogates in Kogi state has resulted in the death of the following persons within the period of eight years a. Ogwu Aranka b. Ijaja c. Unekwu Oje Omu d. Mohammed Kebiru (Okwo) e. Mr Zekeli Yawo f. Mr Attah Doro g. Elder Edime h. Mr Abisho i. Madam Salome Abuh j. Hon Adejoh Akowe k. Mr Emma Olosho l. Mr Onoja Jnr m. Mr Oboi n. Mallam Aminu Keke o. Inspector Atabor p. Mr Daniel Usman q. Inspector Friday Omega r. Hon Abuh Foster, and s. Mr Biggy.”
