Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and an injured military at the scene of the clash
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By Atekojo Samson Usman
The false alarm by the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Evangelist Kingsley Fanwo on Sunday 22nd October, 2023 stating that some gun men in military uniform attempted assassination of the State governor, Yahaya Bello was one of the many fallacies, evil propaganda that have been the lifelines of Bello administration for the past years in office.
Fanwo as Commissioner was supposed to know his limit of making policies, but has decided to overstepped bounds and usurp the responsibilities and mandates of a Chief Press Secretary or Media Adviser, and often tell lies freely to cover up deficiencies of the administration. It is even worse that as a former media practitioner, he has allowed himself to be immersed with lies telling and evil propaganda without knowing that posterity would one day judge him.
The assassination claim in his press release which governor Bello later denounced on Sunday did not only mislead the mass media, but negative the credibility of some online and conventional newspapers and electronic media who have created a niche for themselves over the years. What an overzealous political lap dog!
Lies and evil propaganda are the grundnorm of Kogi State government because Fanwo is one of the many appointees of Bello who serve as ‘agent provocateur’ that instigate crisis directed at opposition parties contesting governorship in Kogi State. Spreading dangerous lies at a tension-soaked political moment could lead to the unimaginable and one wonders, if Fanwo really understand the implication of what he has done, particularly that his principal had denied that “there was no assassination attempt on him or his convoy by anyone.”
What were his evidences before rushing for the evil press release to whip sentiments to the side of government that has raped the citizens and pauperized the people? Pictorial evidences from the scene pointed to assault and battery by the governor’s thugs in guise of ‘security details’, and one wonders if ‘where one’s right stopped was no longer the commencement of another man’s right. It’s baffling that the statement was scripted as if the military officers discharging their statutory responsibilities were at fault without revealing thugs in convoy of the governor.
The last denouement of propaganda by Fanwo was unsatisfying and irrational and having been denied by his principal, it didn’t only cast slur on him as a person, but the stigma of lies would continue to live with him.
Though, one is gladdened that those who were involved – the blood thirsty stabbers have been apprehended and are being interrogated, the governor should be held liable for the injured military officer of the 179 presidential guards’ brigade and the Federal must ensure justice for the victim of the unprovoked attack.
The similar ugly scenario happened on Saturday 3rd June, 2023 close to Naval base, Banda on Lokoja-Abuja highway, where Bello’s thugs in his convoy descended on the convoy of the opposition Social Democratic Party, SDP governorship candidate, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka and riddled his armoured car with bullets and other vehicles damaged and vandalized. Were it not for the Mercedes Benz bullet that Ajaka was being conveyed, he would have been a dead man by now.
In a premeditated move, Fanwo, an Evangelist issued a press statement alleging that the SDP thugs attacked the convoy of Governor Yahaya Bello. The statement said: “The gunmen suspected to be political thugs of the SDP, having sighted the convoy of Bello approaching, blocked the road and started shooting at the convoy.
“A Tundra branded with the logo and flags of the party also blocked the governor’s vehicle and the occupants were armed with rifles and short guns.
“But thank God our governor left the scene unscathed and there is no cause for panic.
“Some security aides and other aides attached to the governor sustained some degrees of injuries and have been rushed to medical facilities for attention.
“We urge the people of Kogi to remain calm as security agents are in full control to ensure the arrest of the hoodlums behind the attack.”
Behold, there was no iota of truth in Fanwo’s statement, rather it was the SDP candidate who is a strong contender that was attacked and one could infer this fact from the many bullet-ridden vehicles in the convoy of Ajaka who were returning from Koton Karfi after they visited the residents for a campaign.
As if that wasn’t enough, the governor while reacting, made a despicable statement and labelled Ajaka and Igala people as antelopes. He said, “if such things happened again, Ajaka would not be alive to tell the story.”
Samson is a journalist, and a public affairs analyst who is interested in good governance across African countries and can be reached through: ateko2007@gmail.com
