Kogi Governorship Tribunal: SDP condemns mass attack on its members in Okene, call on security agents to arrest perpetrators

The leadership of the Social Democratic Party SDP, on Friday condemned attack on its members who appeared as witnesses before the on going Kogi State Gubernatorial Election Tribunal holding at National Judiciary Institute, Abuja.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja over the incident, the National Chairman of the Party, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the heads of the nation’s security Forces to wade into the ugly development In the National interest.

According to him, “we wish to formally report that immediately after the testimonies at the Petition Tribunal which sat on 28 March 2024, there were sporadic attacks on the lives and properties of members who testified for SDP as well as attacks on their families and shops in Kogi State.

“On 28 March 2024, the following attacks on SDP members were recorded in Kogi State:
a) The house and shops of Mr. Galadima were vandalised and wares brought out and put on fire at Oziokutu.
b) The properties of Hon. Agomi were brought out of his house and set on fire.
c) The items in the Pharmacy of Hon. Mumuni Time at Idoji – Inike junction were vandalised and destroyed and burnt.
d) The family house of Hon Mustapha Otinawu at Ahogede, Idozumi was attacked and destroyed.
e) The rented apartment of Hon. Agomi Yusuf at Okengwe was attacked and his properties carted outside and burnt.
f) The house of Mr. Dahiru Orietesu at Orietesu was attacked, properties brought out and destroyed. His pregnant wife was badly beaten, and she is still hospitalised at the time of this report.

“It is again with great sense of responsibility, and now with great sadness that we wish to bring to the attention of the Inspector General of Police of the Federation the blatant threats to peace and security in Kogi State which have now escalated and to remind the IGP of our letter to his good-self dated 26 February 2024 titled “BLATANT THREATS TO PEACE AND SECURITY IN KOGI STATE CAN ESCALATE.” Sadly, the situation in Kogi State has indeed escalated.

“In our letter under reference, we called the attention of the IGP to the emergent threats to peace and security in Kogi State which portend significant dangers of national dimensions and requested your-good-self for swift and effective intervention to restore law and order and security to avert unwarranted escalation within the State or to national disaster.

“We reported that a group of persons have carried out attacks on SDP members and incited the public to attack them. The group also threatened the safety and lives of our party officials publicly including through radio announcements warning them to take heed at the risk of their lives and those of their families.

“The group has been daring and brazen about its readiness to attack to the level that it took its heinous and dastardly campaign to a Government licensed Radio station, Jatto 102.7 FM Radio Station, to threaten SDP members warning them not to testify in election petition tribunal or they will deal with them and their family members.

“We reminded the IGP that a group of people had unleashed so much terror in Kogi State before and the after the November 2023 election resulting in destruction of the SDP Gubernatorial Secretariat in Lokoja in July 2023, and burning down of the same Secretariat in August 2023 as well as caused so much mayhem and reckless attacks including on the Election Petition Tribunal that the Federal Government had to shift the sitting of the Tribunal from Lokoja in Kogi State to Abuja.

“We reported that in spite of shifting of the Tribunal operations to Abuja, the group has continued to use quasi-security bodies to unleash havoc and violence in Kogi State with deadly focus on members of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

“On 26 February 2024, we urged the IGP to note that there are proven threats to the safety and security of our Tribunal witnesses and requested the intervention of the Police to investigate and curb the unlawful and illegal activities and other illegal quasi-security groups in Kogi State and bring them to justice and to call to order the owners and management of Jatto 102.7 FM Radio and to stop them from further making obnoxious announcements and inciting the public to violence.

“On 28 March 2024, one month after, we have noted with great sadness that the threats to peace and security in Kogi State have indeed escalated.

“As a responsive and responsible political party, we hereby wish to humbly inform the IGP that the threats to the safety and security of our members in Kogi State are indeed real and dangerous. We respectfully enjoin the IGP to please intervene before the situation spirals out of control.

“We have concluded plans to book a physical appointment with the Inspector General of Police IGP to pay our complaints before him again for further action.

“The last petition we wrote to him in February this year about our intelligence report on the planned attacks on our members which we still have the acknowledgement copy, he directed the Kogi State Commissioner of Police to investigate out case and the Commissioner directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police DCP (Political) to handle the matter.

“Rather than to do the needful immediately, the DCP wrote to invite the Party”s National Secretary to come down to Lokoja, Kogi State to come and substantiate out claim.

“At this juncture, we are calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to act fast and do the needful on the Kogi State insecurity matter so as not to set the State on fire, we have been calling our to order, we knew what we went through and now the case is at the Tribunal for adjudication, they should allow the judiciary to complete its assignment and should Stop harassing the witnesses.”

Both the National Secretary of the Party and its National Legal Adviser, Dr Olu Agunloye and Mr Aderemi Abimbola also displayed various photo evidences of the attacks against Party members before the media.