Posted by By ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, Kaduna on
The Kaduna State Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Wednesday called on the police and all other relevant security authorities to without any further delay to effect the arrest of the Chairman of Okene Local Government in Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Karaku for claiming that the 26 mercenaries arrested last week in Jos were staff of the council.
The Kaduna State Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Wednesday called on the police and all other relevant security authorities to without any further delay to effect the arrest of the Chairman of Okene Local Government in Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Karaku for claiming that the 26 mercenaries arrested last week in Jos were staff of the council.
Secretary of the Association, Rev. Joseph Hayab made the call in Kaduna. He told journalists while reacting to the claim of the council boss as widely reported in a northern-based newspaper that the claim was a contradiction of security situations in the country.
The Okene council boss was reported to have said that the mercenaries arrested in Jos with weapons, and fake military uniforms and identity cards of Force headquaters were staff of Okene Council.
'We make bold to say that the arrested persons are known to be vigilance group from Bauchi, that have been at the service of our council area, who have been in a joint patrol with the conventional police in maintaining peace in the area.
'We want to state that the Legislative bus was provided temporarily to them to solve their mobility problem as the earlier one provided them by the state government was burnt.'
But CAN said: 'It beats our imagination how a local government can go to another state to recruit vigilance group and give them weapons when the laws of the land did even allow the civil defence to carry weapons.
'Is he telling us that he could not find people to recruit in Okene or Kogi State that he has to pass Lokoja, pass Abuja, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau and to Bauchi to recruit vigilance groups to work for him in Okene?
'We all know the volatile nature of Okene. This has clearly shown us that these are the people who are recruiting people and arming them with weapons to commit havoc in the country.
'The Federal government and indeed, the Inspector General of Police must arrest this man immediately so that they can get to those who are bringing in weapons into this country.
'If he was paid to make this claim, he has failed because he has not convinced anybody as to why he should have vigilance group from another state. The people of Okene now know who their chairman really is.
'How can vigilance groups be using the vehicle of the legislature? It goes to show that government vehicles can now be used for criminal purposes. The IGP now has a lead. This man must be arrested so that he can lead us to all us to all those who are bringing in weapons into the country.
'If the Federal Government fails to arrest this man, they will be creating doubt in the minds of many of us, because he wants to trivialise a very sensitive issue. We must get to the root of this matter,' the CAN scribe declared.