Posted by By Demola Akinyemi on
AS the tension over the Ilorin crisis subsides, aides of Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State and the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambari have called for the arrest of former governor; Alhaji Muhammad Lawal...
ILORIN - AS the tension over the Ilorin crisis subsides, aides of Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State and the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambari have called for the arrest of former governor; Alhaji Muhammad Lawal over the recent mayhem at Idi-Ape area of Ilorin, which claimed three lives and property worth several millions of naira.
In the same vain, a group, Asa, Ilorin, Moro {AIM} Unity Group has called on the federal government to look into the remote and immediate causes of the crisis and set up a judicial commission of inquiry on the crisis and recommend as appropriate.
Governor Saraki's aide, Yemi Afolayan, the Special Adviser, Political and Muhammad Salihu Woru in separate sessions called on the police high command to immediately order the arrest of the former governor over the killing of a mobile policeman, Obatayo Obatoke in the mayhem.
Woru in a press statement in Ilorin claimed that investigation conducted so far revealed that the former state governor had a hand in the brutal killing of the policeman.
His words "the former state governor held several illegal meetings in the residence of one of the deposed chiefs at Idi-Ape area of Ilorin few days to the murder of the policeman."
The Emir's aide, himself a retired police spokesman in the command posited that the five day mayem in Idiape area of Ilorin was as a result of the illegal decision taken in that meeting against the constituted authority which he said triggered off the disturbance that led to the killing of the mobile policeman by those believed to be the supporters of the former state governor.
According to him,"Rather than blaming the Kwara State government or the police by some newspapers for the mayhem, Alhaji Muhammad Lawal, the three deposed chiefs and their cohorts who took part in the illegal assembly where act of criminality is perpetrated should be held responsible not only for the massive destruction of property, but for the brutal murder of the policeman.
The former police officer enjoined all law abiding citizens residing in the state to continue to maintain peace.
Meanwhile the governor's aide, Afolayan who spoke with newsmen dismissed the claim that the state government has a hand in the burning of Lawal house in Idi-Ape.
Afolayan argued that, "there is no proof that Lawal did not set his own house on fire. He has done that before, anybody who knows Lawal would know that there is no truth in what he has said."
The socio-political group, AIM Unity Forum in a statement signed by Alhaji Atanda Zorro and Mallam Sadiq Zubair and made available to journalists in Ilorin lamented the crisis which it believed was avoidable if both the Emir and the state government had heeded the security reports by not deposing the kingmakers and replacing them with another set of people.
"Whatever be the case, we of the AIM Unity Forum condemns in strongest terms the unfortunate, but avoidable mayhem in which several lives were lost, buildings burnt down by arsonists, innocent citizens were injured and their property looted."
The group added, "we do not believe that Ilorin deserves this unfortunate incident. We therefore call upon all those people involved in the conflict to sheath their swords and allow peace to reign".
The group called on the federal government to take the matter up urgently and save the community from future incidents.