18th December, 2023
By Richard Elesho/Kogi
The Campaign Organisation of Social Democratic Party, SDP in Kogi November 11 governorship election has accused the state police command of plotting to frame up its Director-General of campaigns, Sheik Ibrahim for arrest over illegal possession of firearms.
Faruk Adejoh-Audu, Director of Communications of the Kogi SDP Governorship Campaign Council, made the allegation in a statement in Lokoja on Sunday. He claimed the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Bethrand Onuoha, is at the centre of the plot.
Adejoh-Audu, who has been in a running battle with Onuoha, alleged that the police boss plans to plant arms in the residence of the SDP campaign DG before proceeding there with a procured search warrant.
Hear Adejoh-Audu: “The Kogi Security Chiefs who last month masterminded the massacre at the residence of Sheik Ibrahim, Director-General of Social Democratic Party (SDP) Governorship Campaign Council are plotting to again invade the same premises with the excuse that they are in search of firearms.
“This time it is feared that they have procured a search warrant from a Lokoja judge who has already gained notoriety for providing judicial cover for the criminal activities of the Governor of Kogi State, Mr Yahaya Bello.
“Information available to us indicates that after several attempts to plant arms and ammunition using Bello’s thugs are proxies in Ayingba failed, the invaders will bring the arms in Yahaya Bello’s Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and dump them in specific sections of the house, thereafter they will retreat to bring cameras to start video recording the operation as if they broke into the residence and found the arms.
“The invasion which is expected to commence anytime from now is a desperate recourse by the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Bethrand Unuoha to justify the massacre in the same residence on November 7(2023) during which at least three policemen and two nephews of the DG were murdered in cold blood.
It would be recalled that the Kogi Police Command had threatened Adejoh-Audu with arrest over what it described as his unsubstantiated allegations against it.
Consequently, the spokesman calling the threat a resort to self-help obtained judicial protection forbidding the police and other security agencies from arresting, harassing or intimidating him, pending the determination of his suit.
Justice N Hamza of the Federal High Court, Abuja, granted the order last week in a matter brought to enforce the SDP spokesperson’s fundamental human rights.