Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Simon Achuba has raised the alarm that his life is in danger following the alleged withdrawal of his security details on the orders of the State Governor, Yahaya Bello, Igbere TV reports.
Igbere TV reports that Governor Yahaya Bello has been at loggerheads with his Deputy who emerged after the death of Abubakar Audu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2015 election. The conflict led to the severance of some of Achuba’s benefits.
Speaking during a press conference at his official residence in Lokoja, on Sunday, the Deputy Governor alleged that his security details were summoned to Government House for briefing, just as he was about to travel to his hometown for the botched election.
He said on getting to the government house, the governor’s ADC took them to the office of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS) to make a statement.
“They accused my ADC and orderly of gunrunning but both of them denied the allegation,” he said.
“As I’m speaking now, they are under detention in the Government House. I informed the Commissioner of Police about the situation but till now he has refused to take any action.
“I’m a member of the All Progressives Congress. I reported to the national leader of the APC but nothing has been done. My imprest was stopped for no reason and it was ordered by the governor. I live as deputy governor in the house without security, I travelled home without police, my life is in danger.”
Achuba equally alleged that light and water to his residence had been cut off and that he currently lives in darkness.
He appealed to the Inspector General of Police to call the state commissioner of police to order so that his security details can be restored back.
He also called on the Federal Government to intervene in the affairs of Kogi State whose citizens, he claimed, had been subjected to hardship.
“When God gives you the privilege to rule a people, the people should not be taken for granted. You don’t have to use force for your policy to scale through if they are popular and people-oriented,” he said.
He said that the point of departure between himself and the governor was in the area of urging the government to do things according to the will of the people to which no one had been listening.
Reacting, however, the Director-General, Media and Publicity to the Governor, Kingsley Fanwo, said it was not the state Governor’s responsibility to post security details to the Deputy Governor.
“It is not the responsibility of the governor to give security even to himself. The security heads do. So, the governor is not responsible for posting security to the Deputy Governor.
“So, if his claims are true, kindly get in touch with the security agencies to give explanations.”
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Busari, has promised to look into the matter.
“He contacted me and I told him I was going to look into it and I am working on it to know what to do.
“I want to contact the ADC to the Governor why the deputy governor’s details were withdrawn. I spoke to the deputy governor, I think this morning, that I was going to do something about.”
He explained that while police authority posts policemen to the Government House, the ADC to the governor is the one who deploys them.
He confirmed that the deputy governor requested two extra policemen prior to the withdrawal of his details.
He promised to supply the two policemen pending when the issue will be resolved.
