Tobi Soniyi
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Zamfara State and Secretary of the party’s Board of Trustees Alhaji Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi has called on the Inspector General of Police to arrest and prosecute a former governor of the state Abdulaziz Yari for making statement capable of disrupting the fragile peace in Zamfara.
Shinkafi, in the letter to the IGP ,which was also copied to the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Director General of the State Security Services (SSS) and the Office of the National Security Adviser to the President said Yari should not be allowed to frustrate the efforts being made by the state governor Bello Matawalle to ensure peace reign in Zamfara.
In the petition, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent, Shinkaffi said: “Following the unguarded and provocative statements made by the former governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari wherein he was heard inciting members of his faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to move against the state government.
I hereby demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of Yari for disobeying the subsisting order of the security agencies banning any forms of public gatherings, political parties meetings and associations, rallies, across the state.”
Shinkafi said he had audio clips of Yari inciting be supporters.
“Enclosed is the audio clips of unguarded and provocative statements by the former governor Abdulaziz Yari and Former House of Representative Member Representing Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji Federal Constituency. Hon. Aminu Sani Jaji” he added.
Shinkafi reminded the security chiefs that a few years ago the state witnessed series of crimes and unrests including abduction, torture and killing of innocent citizens in the markets, streets with bodies lying on the streets and nobody could stop the jungle justice that went on in the whole of Zamfara State during the tenure of the immediate past administration.
He warned that there was an urgent need to make sure the state did not fall back to that era of lawlessness.
According to him, Yari has been seen publicly calling on his factional APC members not to recognize the administration of His Excellency Bello Muhammad Matawalle as the executive governor of Zamfara State but to see him as a sole administrator.
He said: “Time without number he has rejected the 24th May 2019 judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria painting the eminent jurists of the apex court with all kinds of names.”
He alleged without proof that Yari was planning to disrupt the peace accord in the state.
Shinkafi stated that under the Nigerian constitution and the concept of rule of law, no one is above the law warning that Yari should not be allowed to be above the law.
He alleged that about 8500 private militias popularly called Yansakai were recruited illegally by the Yari administration as a vigilante group.
“This defunct vigilante group – Yansakai which is loyal to Yari has refused to embrace the disarmaments and arms control programme of the state government to augment the peace accord initiated by Governor Matawalle,” he added.
The Zamfara State police command had on September 24th, 2019, banned all forms of political rallies, meetings and processions in the state.
The ban followed intelligence reports that Boko Haram planned to attack and bomb some places in the state including the Central Mosque Gusau, Maradum, Anka, Talata Marafa, Kauran Namoda and Tsafe.
The petition read: “However, in flagrant disregard to the subsisting order banning all forms of political rallies, meetings and processions in the state the former Governor Abdulaziz Yari was heard recently inciting his supporters to revolt against the state government with the sole aim of making the state ungovernable for the Matawalle led government.
“Yari was heard asking his supporters to resist the Zamfara State Urban and Regional planning Board (ZUREPB) Enforcement of Town planning law cap 130 and Zamfara State Edict No 2 of 1996 for building approval permission by the agency of government. with the last drop of their blood saying ‘if any attempt is made to demolish any house in Zamfara State all of us here, All Progressive Congress (APC) will resist the demolition of houses in Zamfara State until all of us are killed’. That he will lead the protest. He boasted that the All Progressive Congress (APC) is controlling the federal government, the security agencies and National Assembly and that he knows how to deal with the governor.”
Shinkafi also called on security agencies to investigate all atrocities committed in Zamfara during the eight years that Yari was in office as governor.
“We hereby demand for his immediate arrest and prosecution to avoid a break down of law and order in Zamfara State”, he added
