A group under the aegis of Benue Valley Initiative has accused the
President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government of militarising the
nation’s democracy and for besieging the State Assembly by armed
policemen.
The group equally called on President Buhari to pay the kind of
attention that he is paying to the Benue political crisis to the
protection of “lives and property.”
This was contained in a press statement signed by Terhemen Oscar
Aorabee, Esq. Daniel Orshi Ayoh, Esq, Chairman and Secretary of the
group respectively.
It would be recalled that some days ago, the Commissioner of Police
in Benue State, Fatai Owoseni was redeployed out of Benue State, less
than a year after he assumed duty, for failure to stop the impeachment
of Rt. Honourable Terkimbi Ikyange by 22 members of the Benue State
House of Assembly who had impeached him and proceeded to elect another
Speaker and principal officers of the House.
It reads, “After his arrival, the new Commissioner of Police, Besan
Dapiya Gwana, he proceeded to lay siege and besiege the hallowed
premises of the Benue State House of Assembly and prevented members of
the House from gaining access there. The members were compelled to sit
elsewhere and conduct legislative proceedings.
“Sequel to the above, the 22 members of the Benue State House of
Assembly approached the Benue State High Court and on 27/7/2018 obtained
an Interim Injunction restraining Rt. Hon. Terkimbi Ikyange, from
parading himself as the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly and
also restraining the Inspector General of Police and his servants and
agents, from cordoning off the premises of the House of Assembly and
preventing the 22 legislators from performing their constitutional
duties. The orders were served on all parties concerned.
“We have also observed that this morning, 30th July, 2018, a
detachment of Policemen with Armoured Cars and Personnel Carriers, drawn
from Abuja, Nasarawa and Benue State, in clear defiance of the
subsisting Court order, invaded the premises of the Benue State House of
Assembly and prevented the 22 Legislators from entering the premises
while they allowed Rt. Hon. Terkimbi Kyange and 7 other members into the
premises”, the group explained.
The group said, while it’s not going to comment on the legality or
otherwise of the impeachment of Hon. Terkimbi Kyange because it is
beyond its mandate to do so, especially that the matter is pending in
Court and therefore, subjudice.
“We are worried that the Federal Government is gradually militarizing
democracy by using the force of arms to rough handle and dictate to the
Legislature from the National to the State Assemblies what should be
done, especially where such legislature is not willing to be at the beck
and call of the Buhari led administration.
“It is obvious that President Buhari, who truncated our fledgeling
democracy in 1983 through a Military Coup D’état, is also bent on
implementing another subversion of the will of the people by executing
another Coup against democracy by instalments.
“We condemn in very strong terms this militarization of democracy,
and call upon the President to allow the democratic process to flow even
if it is flawed, but give way to the Judiciary to perform her role as
the arbiter and interpreter of the law.
“We are concerned that the president, under a democracy, will flout
an existing order of Court and without due process, move so swiftly
against political opponents who are members of the Legislature, with
force of arms reserved for criminal elements, and yet develop clay feet
against armed Fulani herdsmen on a killing spree in the Benue Valley and
the Middle Belt.
“We call again upon the President to pay the kind of attention that
he is paying to the Benue Political crisis to the protection of lives
and property. He should, therefore, deploy the Police to Zamfara where
armed herdsmen are holding sway and killing helpless citizens.
“We call upon the President to order the Inspector General of Police
to withdraw the illegal detachment of Police and lift the siege against
the Benue State House of Assembly in obedience to the orders of the High
Court of Justice and allow the due process of law to be followed either
in the Legislature or the Courts”, the statement stressed.
The group recalled that barely a week ago, the premises of the Senate
President and the Deputy Senate Presidents were besieged by the Police
in an attempt to prevent them from presiding over the Senate plenary
where aggrieved senators were to decamp from the ruling party to the
opposition.