The Commissioner of Police,
Kogi State Police Command Headquarters,
Lokoja.
Sir,
AN ADVICE FOR A DISPASSIONATE AND NON-PARTIAL DISCHARGE OF DUTIES
We heartily congratulate you on your well-deserved appointment as the Commissioner of Police posted to our beloved state. We are confident this letter will get to you and your security team as you prepare to settle in your new station to render your quota which we anticipate and advise to be in line with the required standard ethical conduct.
We need little or no introduction to you; we presume you must have been briefed by your predecessor after series of disputes we had had with him anchored on our resilient demand for good governance and accountability in Kogi State.
Contrary to the misrepresentation the government might have availed you about us, we are a group of dispassionate youths desirous of a unified and progressive Kogi State. We have decided to take a firm stand against political office holders who have held our people captive, prompting abject penury and oppression, and we are undeterred about this.
Interestingly, your appointment is coming at a very challenging but opportune time in our history. Kogi state is one of the most chaotic states, facing the toughest security challenges in Nigeria; almost all rancour is blameable to the crude mannerisms the incumbent administration displays through their self-styled sponsor of antagonistic politics.
Sadly noting, our frictions should had been avoided had your predecessor not being parochial and applied discretion in his handling of salient issues. However, we are confident in your abilities and at the same time pray that God makes your own tenure a success, hence you MUST learn from the mistakes of CP Inalegwu by strategizing and evolving a formidable blueprint that is all encompassing.
This is a timely request imploring you to be discreet and prudent in your discharge of duties as the Chief Security Officer of our dear state.
Pending Issues
For the records, we would like to use this opportunity to intimate you briefly on the current state of affairs for which we want to presume you are already in the know.
1. The attack on Senator Dino Melaye by hoodlums and thugs suspected to be loyalists of Kogi State Government which is, at the moment, a routine and an eyesore contrasting the tenets of democracy. Another disturbing development is the recent state government sponsored terrorism attack on an elder statesman Dr. Alex Kadiri in his residence while hosting a stakeholder’s interactive meeting. This barbaric act is already causing serious ethnic tension and disaffection in the state. Presently, many indigenes of Kogi state are bitterly aggressed embracing a factually stereotyped perception mirroring Governor Bello in his numerous attempts to cause confusion and political instability in the region because he is egocentrically beclouded by his 2019 political ambitions.
2. The invasion of the State House of Assembly by thugs suspected to be loyal to the state government under the feigned supervision of the erstwhile Police Commissioner is quite disturbing. During the attack, a renowned opposition in person of Elder Friday Makama, member representing Igala-Mela / Odolu constituency, escaped death by the whiskers.
3. The illogical highhandedness of Governor Yahaya Bello and his crony Mr. Edward Onoja, and their inclinations to always cajole the Commissioner of Police for personal and political aberration is extremely perturbing. It should be stressed, that Governor Yahaya Bello exploited the vulnerability of your predecessor Mr. Wilson Inalegwu and other security apparatuses for his shameful and disorderly scripted acts. Unfortunately, the latter who is meant to be a professional, regrettably derailed to become gruesomely partisan during his tenure. The Governor, through the collaboration of the political Police Commissioner, harassed, victimised and unjustly imprisoned some persons who are critical of their political views; notable amongst these victims are: Comr. Austin Okai Usman and Comr. Johnson Musa.
4. Till date, political victimization is holding sway in Kogi state. We implore you to do a personal investigation and you will be shocked to discover that there are still some prominent Kogi citizens who are victims of this government’s witch hunt. These citizens now feel extremely unsafe to visit the state, notable among them are Barr. Natasha Akpoti, Hadi Ametuo and Dr Tom Ohikere.
5. The most dangerous and threatening trend presently treacherous is the case of several young men hired by Kogi State government as VIGILANTES. These state sponsored thugs in disguise are empowered to intimidate, maim and sometimes incarcerate innocent citizens promoting divergent political views in the state. Some of the victims of this avoidable violence are still nursing excruciating injuries and trauma suffered in the hands of these inimically poised agents. The most agonising of their recent nefarious activities is the killings of Mr. Mallam Ibrahim, Usman Ibrahim and Adamu Ibrahim by a group of fake vigilantes headed by one Mohammed B. Ibrahim.
6. It is in our notice that an interim police investigation on this same case of wilful murder involving the Head of vigilante for Koton Karfe, Mohammed Ibrahim and 6 indicted accomplices (Inspr. Bala Momoh, Bature Yunusa, Adamu Yunusa, Yusuf Benege, Emmanuel Joseph and Ali Yakubu) is on. It is alleged that the suspects murdered some innocent citizens and deposited their bodies in a reservoir. The accused are presently in custody at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. We are aware that the Kogi State Government have vested interest in the case. Furthermore, we have privilege information that the State Government is working assiduously to tamper with and compromise the ongoing investigation. The case which is said to be dated on the 1st August, 2017 with Reference No. CZ:7650/KGS/SARS/VOL.2/ is a serious matter tabled before the Inspector General of Police and we strongly advise you to be cautious with a quest to ensure transparency.
Conclusion
A sage once said “it is only the unwise that learns from his own mistakes but a wise person learns from the experience of others.”
It is in line with the foregoing that we would like to advise you on the following:
1. We urge you to be as disinterested, dispassionate and professional in all possible ramifications in the discharge of your duty.
2. We suggest that you have a roundtable session with all parties to hear all the aggrieved circles in the interest of equitable justice.
3. We advise that the Kogi State Vigilante group which is a veritable tool for violence by the government be disbanded and prohibited.
4. Political arrest, victimization of opposition voices, unjust incarceration, assassinations, thuggery, etc. should be shunned and crushed.
5. The case of murder mentioned above, should be given utmost attention and be handled with great diligence.
We therefore, by this letter, urge you to carry out your assignment without prejudice and sentiments. Should you need to interact with us for more elucidation, we are very much available.
Accept the assurances of our highest regards.
Yours sincerely,
Usman Okai Austin
For: Kogi Youths Roundtable
Cc Director of DSS ,Kogi State
Bc. Human Rights Watch .
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