By Dada Ahmed.
Mr.Kingsley Fanwo in the middle.
Insecurity in Ejule community in East Senatorial District of Kogi State, north central Nigeria, has gone down by 40 per cent, following the last week killing of Kabir Bala by the joint security force.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this during a press conference in Lokoja on Monday.
He described the late Bala as a “terror” in the eastern part of the state, adding that the deceased was into kidnapping of young women, house wives and terrorizing the people of the entire kogi east.”
According to the commissioner, motorists transversing the state were also subjected to extreme intimidation and other acts of criminality by the late Bala and his gang.
Fanwo argued that every citizen of Nigeria has the right to life as enshrined in the Constitution of the country, adding that nobody has the right to take the life of another person unconstitutionally.
Citing security reports on what happened between the late Bala and members of the joint security team at Ejule, Fanwon said that Bala was “neutralized” because he evaded lawful arrest by the joint security team, adding that he attempted to kill them in the process of effecting his arrest.
He said that if a criminal who evaded lawful arrest and attempted to kill security personnel was killed, that should not be termed as extra judicial killing ” by any standard”.
The commissioner described those who believe that Bala was killed in such an extra judicial circumstance as those supporting crime and criminality in the state and urged security agencies to call them for thorough investigation and be made to account for their action.
He expressed the resolve of the state government not to relinquish its responsibility to criminals as it has sworn to protect life and property of the people as well as ensuring their welfare.
“We have gone,far in the last 30 months, in taming criminals, we cannot afford to loose the effort to crime sponsors and defenders of a criminal.
“As a government, we will do everything within the cause of law to guarantee a peaceful poll in November.
“It is our responsibility to give confidence to our people, that they are free from attacks in exercising their franchise.
“Intimidation, ethnic and profiling of any antisocial activity or unconstitutional act will be met with stiff resistance, “the commissioner stressed.
During a question and answer session, Fanwo denied the allegation by the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Mr.Murtala Ajaka, that the state government issued statement directing the traditional rulers in the state not to receive him on a courtesy visit.
Fanwo, who said that traditional rulers in the three senatorial districts of the state had been receiving other candidates for the November 11,governorship election and wondered why that of Murtala should be different.
He, therefore,challenged Murtala with a 7-altimatum to tender such statement, if any, to the public.
He described Governor Yahaya Bello as a detribalised leader who has effectively demonstrated this in the just manner he established infrastructure across the three senatorial districts of the state as well as in appointment of his aids.
