Kogi versus Dangote battle gets messier

THE Kogi State government said it has uncovered plot by Dangote to attack state government officials and obliterate documents in the ongoing battle between him and the state. 

Dangote and the state has been embroiled in a face-off, following the decision of the state government to recover its 10 per cent equity share in the company, a development that led to the state government sealing off premises of the cement company on Thursday. 

The state Commissioner for Information and Communication Mr Kingsley Fanwo in a statement on Saturday alleged that some officials of the company at a meeting held in the night had planned to unleash violence on the state. 

Claiming to be in possession of the tape of the alleged meeting Fanwo disclosed that: “A top management staff of Dangote Group erroneously called a top government official as the said meeting was going on to hatch their satanic plans against the government and people of Kogi State. 

The call which came in at 10.06pm went on for 28 minutes, 12 seconds, detailing how the Dangote Group intends to doctor documents to prove they own the cement company, 100 per cent; how they intend to use the DSS and other security agencies to arrest top government officials on frivolous charges; how they intend to use the EFCC to arrest some government officials in order to cow them; how they also intend to use the media to promote falsehood against the government and people of Kogi State and sundry other satanic plans against the people and government of our dear state.” 

Fanwo further alleged that there was a “… plan to use the press to attack the Governor and the Government of Kogi State. Plan to deploy people to the major TV Stations in the country to attack the Governor and the Government of Kogi State. 

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“Plan to call the EFCC and DSS today to claim those who sealed the company on the orders of the House of Assembly stole the sum of N207m and that those agencies should arrest them”, as well as block the major roads with their trucks, among others. 

“We make bold to say that if the Dangote Group attempts to carry out any of his threats or deny our claims above, which are supported by facts, we will release visuals and audio of the said meeting and the whole world will see the mindset and modus operandi of Alh. AlikoDangote and his conglomerate. We are a people that cannot be destroyed by the whims and caprices of the capitalist dominance that the Dangote Group stands for,” Fanwo said promising that Kogi government would stop at nothing to demand what it felt was right and just for the people of the state from the Dangote group. 

Meanwhile, Dangote group in its reaction has claimed that the state government had shot some of its workers during the invasion orchestrated by the Bello-led government. 

The company said over 500 government vigilantes invaded the Dangote Cement Plant located at Obajana on Wednesday at the behest of the state governor and forcefully shut down its operations. It added that Cement trucks were also burnt and many others were vandalised, as they forcefully hijacked Dangote buses and vans. Market and business activities have been brought to a standstill since the attack was launched. 

“No fewer than 27 Dangote staff are currently in bad conditions after they were shot at by the invaders,” a statement from the company also said, adding that the control rooms were forcefully shut down and equipment whose monetary value have not been computed was vandalized, while communication cords were also severed to bring production to an abrupt halt. 

“Since the criminal attack, our vehicles carrying diesel have been attacked along Anyigba road. The victims of the government-sanctioned invasion are currently admitted to the emergency section of the Kogi State Specialist Hospital in Lokoja.”