AS military men stepped up manhunt for those responsible for last Monday and Tuesday’s killings in Okene, Kogi State, a lawmakers is among 20 suspects so far arrested in connection with the incidents.

Saturday Tribune gathered that the suspects included some government functionaries and top politicians from Okene Local Government Council.

The sources alleged that the lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District was among those in custody, while some  suspects had been taken to the Police Force Headquaters in Abuja for interrogations.

Meanwhile, heavy search is presently going in Okene, as military men deployed to the area are out in full force to recover  guns taken away from two of their colleagues killed by gunmen on Tuesday evening.

Our correspondent discovered that the Idoji area in Okene, which normally served as a haven for criminals, was under security siege on Friday, as the area was said to be one of the hideouts of some notorious criminals in Kogi Central.

Vehicles were thoroughly  searched, while people were made to lift up their hands when approaching security checkpoints.

Already, people are moving from Okene town to either Ihima axis, Ajaokuta and Ogaminana area all in the Kogi Central because of the security operations.

Similarly, the Senator representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District, Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman, has called on the residents of the area to remain calm and law-abiding.

The Senator, who is still on Lesser Hajj, made the call amidst tension in the district, occasioned by public complaints of harassment by soldiers deployed to restore normalcy following the successive attacks on the Deeper Life Church in Otite, Okehi LGA and the Okene Secretariat, which led to the death of about 22 persons, including two soldiers.

Also speaking, a former deputy governor in the state, Chief Patrick Adava, described the crisis in Okene as political.

Comments (3)

Show/hide comments

...
written by Aremo, USA , August 11, 2012

Nigeria, can nvr start moving frwd until our reporters start been honest and objective in their reporting.why are they in d habits of always protecting d bad pple.covering them up.if gt ur facts right , of those arrested, den mention their names.expose dem bf they gt off d hook and start denying.period !

• 
• +0
• 
• 

please security and pressmen show the bad boys
written by akobe, August 11, 2012

Please always be honest to show the arrested suspects for us to move ahead and to know the sincerity of the Government in tackling terrorism; No matter how influential the suspects are. In Advanced country like USA,that we usually use as reference, don't hide the bad guys when it comes to terrorism.They should be exposed and charge them to court if necessary. This will shows the commitment of the Federal Government in solving security problem and also debunk the claim of the former Security Adviser(General Azize) claim that the Government has hand on what is happening, otherwise innocent poor masses will continue to suffer. AFTER ALL NO BODY IS ABOVE THE LAW.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

kogi central killings
written by jude salau, August 13, 2012

events in ebiraland are continuosly taking new turns. what began as a relious crisis has snowballed into a full bloom political rivalry and brigandage. confusion is in the air. nobody is sure of the truth any longer. only the killers and their sponsor plus the almughty GOD know the truth.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Show/hide comment form

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment