Protesting Ihima women against the renewed political violence in Ebiraland by Kogi state chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has called on the state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello to prevail on his appointees to retrieve guns and dangerous weapons distributed to their sons in the interest of peace in the district.
The protest which has entered second day started on Saturday and lasted for four hours.
The visibly aggrieved women visited the houses of political leaders in the land, telling them to retrieve the guns they distributed to their sons to cause mayhem in the land.
They alleged that a local government chairman and a state commissioner are responsible for the political crises that have claimed the lives of at least two people and more than thirty injured from gunshot. Fifteen houses were allegedly burnt in Obeiba axis of Ihima, OKehi LGA.
The women vowed to continue the protest until the political leaders retrieve the guns distributed to their children.
Speaking on behalf of the women, Hajia Abisetu Salawu said they cannot seat and watch what has been happening in the last two months to continue, adding that the women will continue their protest until Govenor Bello prevails on his appointees from the local government to retrieve the guns distributed to their sons.
She said: “We took it upon ourselves to save our land. We went round Ihima yesterday and visited the houses of all the political leaders sponsoring the distribution guns and dangerous weapons to our children. We warned them to retrieve their guns from our sons to enable us have peace in Ihima.
“It is unfortunate that council chairman held meetings to sponsor some women from his own place in Eyika to stage another protest here in Ihima in support of his evil. This is why we are out again because the Administrator is not ready to change and give us peace in our own land.”
In a related development, the Social Democratic Party, (SDP), Kogi state chapter has raised the alarm over the move by the Kogi state government and APC in the state to use the Nigeria Police to rig election in Kogi Central.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the state Acting Chairman of the party, Alhaji Mouktar Atimah, SDP alleged that huge sums of money was given to the police earlier deployed to Kogi Central, before the postponement of the elections by INEC to motivate them to give cover to APC thugs to snatch election materials and perpetuate other Electoral violence.
He also alleged that the state government in its bid to save face is now mopping up money from all the ministries and MDAs in preparation for vote buying.
“We call on all relevant agencies to watch out for this. Money that ordinarilly would have been used to pay backlog of salaries or invested in the provision of critical infrastructure is being wasted.
“We call on our members and supporters not to lose hope as a result of the postponement of election,” he said.
