By Lateef Adegbite
Barely 48 hours after the gruesome murder of Ahmed Gulak, a top Politician from Adamawa state, north east Nigeria at Oweri, Capital of south east state of Imo by suspected Indigenous People Of Biafra, IPOB, armed Wing, Eastern Security Network, ESN, members, and President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General , vow to deploy all government resources to smoke out the killers and bring to Justice, Hope Uzodimma , the south east state governor had opened up.
In an emotional outburst on Monday, May 31, 2021, why talking addressing Journalists, Hope Uzodimma, a one-time Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria and now governor of the state, where the Adamawa politician was killed on Sunday, May 30, 2021, on while heading to the Sam Mbakwe Airport, Oerri, to catch a flight had opened up described it as’’ a clear case of political assassination’’.
Giving an insider information of Gulak’s mission in the state, he disclosed that he was on an’’ official assignment’’. According to him he had come to Owerri, the Imo state Capital with the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendment’’, noting that ‘’being a humble person, he chose to travel incognito’’, making reference to the account of a friend who was with him. The question on the lips of most people was who was that friend who was in the vehicle with him that was not attacked and how close were they? The aggrieved Imo state governor, who believes he had lost a close friend said ‘’someone must have trailed him from Protea Hotel, Owerri, where he had lodged to the Sam Mbakwe Airport.
The Cab driver conveying the All Progressive Congress, APC, Chieftain without Police escort to the Sam Mbakwe Airport was said to have passed an irregular route , according Baba Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police and spokesperson of Imo state Police Command, . Many believe that he may have taken the irregular route to beat the traffic at the Owerri Metropolis but got it wrong. This is because the attackers were said to have intercepted the Cab carrying the Politician around Umueze Obiangwu in Ngor-Okpala Local government Area of the state which is close to the Airport.
An aggrieved Uzodimma had said that the killers did not’’ remove a pin from him but chose to waste such an innocent man’s blood in such a dastardly and cowardly manner’’. He has ‘’ vowed that those responsible for the Politician’s death will be brought to Justice’’. It was not surprising why the Cab driver became the first suspect as he was arrested and has been the one helping the police in their investigations .
Nyensom Wike, the governor of Rivers state believes that Uzodimma, the Imo state, had acted wrongly and was too much in a haste to have declared Gulak’s gruesome murder as a clear case of’’ political Assassination’’ instead of allowing the security agencies to carry out their investigations to which they were established to do.
Appealing to those in the northern part of the country calling for a revenge to exercise restraint, Ahmad Lawan, the Senate President had cautioned them to allow the relevant security Authorities ‘’ to serve Justice on the matter ‘’ as the injury of the crime was inflicted on the nation as a whole’’. The Senate President was said to have urged the security Operatives that all those involved in the attack and killing of late Gulak are made’’ to pay for their gruesome deed’’.
Describing brutal murder of the former Speaker of the Adamawa state House of Assembly and Aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan on Political matters ‘’as a crime too may’’, he called for’’ swift investigations to bring all those involved to Justice’’. He noted that there can be no moral justification for the brutal murder of the Adamawa politician by the killers.
Following on the footsteps of Lawan, the Senate President, ex-President Jonathan, has’’appealed for calm while Law Enforcement agencies carry out their investigations”. He described the late Gulak’’ as a loyal public servant and dedicated Patriot who gave his all in the service of this country’’.
Hear him: he will be remembered for his modest contributions to the growth of the nation’s Democracy , particular, his memorable days both as a skilful Speaker of Adamawa state House of Assembly and political Adviser during his Presidency.
Dairus Ishaku, governor of Taraba state, who is worried about the increasing spate of insecurity across the country and the inability of the military and other security agencies to address the situation says that these are indications that ‘’Nigeria is dangerously sliding to anarchy and a failed state’’.
It is a disgrace that the military could not flush out the insurgents operating in the north east states of Adamawa, Borno,Yobe and the Bandits in the north west states of Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina, home state of Preesident Muhammadu Buhari , a retired Army General and other Criminal gangs in other parts of the country including the armed Fulani herdsmen operating in the different parts of the country’’, particular, Benue and Plateau states. This may have informed why he had said that the country needed ‘’ a state police which calls for amendment of the 199 Constitution currently in use’’.
John James Akpanudoedehe, a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the APC National Secretary, , caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC, has called’’ for national unity to be able to fight Crimes in the country’’, urging the Police and other security agencies to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to track down the Gulak killers and swiftly bring them to Justice.
Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and Human Rights Lawyer, and Falz, his son, who may have run out of patience over the rising insecurity in the country had joined the civil society organisations , labour unions, and Youth bodies to protest on Monday , May 31, 2021, in Lagos, the nation’s Commercial nerve cntre.
The CLO , protesters were said to have carried placards with different inscriptions. They were said to have matched to the Lagos state Seat of power at Alausa, Ikeja, and were received by members of the state House of Assembly. Falana, the legal luminary , may have spoken the mind of the protesters when he said that ‘’there was need to provide so that peace could be guaranteed in the country’’.
He cited the south west geopolitical region which has 54 Universities as obtained in other regions, churning out graduates daily and the governments, both at the state and Federal levels ,are not planning for their future.
He was said to have made the Lagos Lawmakers to understand that ‘’without peace for the poor, there can be no peace for the rich’’. He has made it clear to the country’s political leadership using the military and other security agencies personnel to fight insurgency and banditry in the country, that they must consider it as a top priority to put all children in school instead of allowing them to roam the streets . An aggrieved Falana, who could not hide his feelings said Nigeria is currently characterized by extreme poverty, arms proliferation, intolerance, the rise of hate and ethnic nationalism which is gradually moving towards social upheavals. He noted that this is due ‘’to exploitation of the people, greed and avarice of spineless political class that has reached its end’’.
Residents of Garuka Communty in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger state , may have started the protest by the block the Abuja and kaduna road , which interrupted vehicular movement, penultimate week, over repeated kidnapping of people in the Community by bandits. They may have embarked on the protest to draw the attention of the Nigerian President and the relevant security operatives to take action.
Even armed Youths from Zamfara state had staged a violent protest along Gusau, the state Capital on Monday over the incessant attacks by bandits in their Communities. The armed Zamfara Youths who wre said to have blocked the highway Kurya junction may have shown their anger by resorting to destruction of property and Commercial vehicles along the road. The aggrieved Zamfara Youths who were not happy over the unending insecurity and attacks which the people of the state are passing through in the hands of the bandits have vowed to fight back since the government could no longer protect lives and properties in the state.
They noted that bandits since 2013, have abducted no fewer than 1,190 people from the various parts of the state and over 100,000 other people displaced from their homes as a result of the bandits attacks while 14,378 Livestock were rustled within the period.
The Value News learnt that past and present governor of the governors of the state, had N including students 970 million on payment of ransom to the bandits, turned kidnappers to secure the release of kidnapped persons but that was how far they could go. Much of the ransom was said to have been paid to bandits to encourage them to drop their guns by the current Bello Matawalle Administration but the situation appear to be getting worse by the day, an indigene of Rigiya Community remarked.
