Security
Senator Alex Kadiri raises alarm over killings in Kogi ahead of guber polls
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APA) and senator who representated Kogi East from 1999 to 2003 in the senate, Chief Alex Kadiri has raised the alarm over so much bloodletting in Kogi State ahead of the November 11, gubernatorial election in the state
He spoke to newsmen in Abuja on Monday against the backdrop of 5 thugs who allegedly killed two members of APC in what was described as intra party wrangling on saturday in Anyigba.
The 5 thugs were nabbed by military patrol and paraded in the state.
The former senator lamented that the bloodletting has reached its crescendo that the Governor of the state and the ruling party APC should be worried but indicated that that has not been the case.
“Please, the bloodletting that is going on in Kogi State, they are killing my people and this should also worry the Governor of the State, it should also worry the APC as a party.
“The day I saw National Chairman of APC in Kogi and laughing away and boasting in Government House it is a big shame. What did he see in Lokoja to warrant him laughing, after the governor’s 7 years in office. “The roads in are so bad that you will not believe that it is a local Government headquarters and he went there with his team and were there laughing. Yahaya Bello promised them he will deliver Kogi State, my party is at fault, they may not want to admit this they rather go and start insulting me on the pages of newspapers and Television.
“But what have we done in Kogi state to warrant people voting for APC except killings left right and Center.
“Our people are dying, all the young boys are bearing guns, rockets and bombs. I asked myself, the police, the DSS and all the security agencies are they not aware of the number of guns circulating in Kogi State.
“Will they claim ignorance. Can they claim they have no means of knowing where these guns are? Can they claim they don’t know who the hoodlums are? Could they claim that they don’t know who is sponsoring all these people.
“In their usual way they will say, go and arrest Alex Kadiri and quizz him to write the names of the people. Stupid way of investigation. The security agencies are not helping the people of Kogi State.
“They ought to know the fact that my people are dying everyday, one person today, two persons another day. Why, why. Is democracy by force?
“Everybody is quiet not because they like what is going on in Kogi.
“Everybody is scared and afraid for his live. I am 81 and I am going towards 82, if I die today, I am okay but I have children and grand children.
“What is going on is a very bad example. Very very bad example. Very silly and traumatic example for any group of persons and we are distroying citizens of Kogi State.
“What is going on in the State is wrong. That is not democracy. But the APC. What they care about is election victory”
He said as an APC member adding that all attempts to use the boys in his ward to suspend or expel him has failed.
“I am aware of all that. I have not resigned from the party and I will continue to speak the truth to power as long as I am alive.
“My country is burning, my state is dying, I can not fold my hands and keep quiet. What is going on in Kogi between the APC and SDP as parties and their gubernatorial candidates in the persons of Ododo and Muri is a shame to democracy.”
Efforts, to get the reaction of the State commissioner of information Evangelist Kingsly Fanwo failed as at the of this report proved abortive as call made was not responded to.