The Kwara State Governor,
Abdulfatah Ahmed, has described as false and misleading, insinuations linking
him and Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki with the suspected cultists
arrested in Ilorin, the state capital and transferred by the police to Abuja.
Governor Ahmed, in a statement by
his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Muyideen Akorede,
said neither him nor the Senate President or any of their aides had links with
the suspected cultists or their alleged activities.
He also denied any knowledge of
or any intention to harm any individual as the political leadership in the
state “has never used violence as a political tool”.
Mr Saraki had on Wednesday
released a statement accusing the police Inspector General, Ibrahim Idris, of
attempting to link him with the activities of the suspects recently nabbed by
the police and brought to Abuja.
He said Mr Idris was seeking
revenge after the Senate declared him unfit to hold public office in Nigeria or
elsewhere.
Police confirmed the suspects had
been transfered, but warned Mr Saraki against jeopardising ongoing
investigations.
The Senate set up a committee to
meet with President Muhammadu Buhari to inform him of the allegations and also
brief him on the Senate’s rift with the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Idris.
Mr Idris’ rift with the lawmakers
deepened recently when he refused to attend summons by them on three occasions.
The irate lawmakers in reaction passed a vote of no confidence on the IGP.
The Kwara governor referred the
public to the parade of the suspects by the state commissioner of police, Aminu
Pai Saleh, on May 10, in Ilorin, during which he announced that the suspects
were arrested for alleged murder and membership of cult groups but made no
mention of any confessional statement linking their activities to any sponsors.
Governor Ahmed described the
alleged killings as the outcome of clashes between rival cults in the state as
most victims had been identified by security agencies as members of cult
groups.
Governor Ahmed said the growing
problem of cultism and cult-related criminalities formed the basis of his
charge to the new Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Mr Saleh, to focus on
ending the menace on his resumption last month.
According to him, the state
government sees cultism as a serious security issue requiring urgent attention
and has accordingly amended the State Cultism Law to prescribe stiffer penalties
for convicts and those who aid and abet them.
He said this is besides providing
operational support to all security agencies in the state in their fight
against all forms of criminalities, including cultism.
Governor Ahmed warned that
cultism is a serious security challenge which should neither be trivialised and
turned into a political tool nor be treated with levity.
He urged well-meaning Nigerians
to disregard any attempt to politicise the menace of cultism but focus instead
on joining hands with the government and security agencies to bring the menace
to an end in the interest of public safety while allowing the rule of law and
justice to prevail in the matter.
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