Protest rocks Kogi over assassination attempt on Dino

THE crisis generated by the alleged assassination attempt on the senator representing Kogi west senatorial district, Dino Melaye, deepened on Saturday as hundreds of women from the state protested against the act.

The women, drawn from the seven local government areas of the senatorial district, rained curses on those behind the move to kill Melaye, saying such development was strange to the politics of the area.

The peaceful protest also saw the women displaying various placards with inscriptions like “We Kogi west warn Yahaya Bello, Edward Onoja, Taofiq Isa, touch Dino Melaye and face our wrath”, ” Do not kill the light, let the light shine” among others.

Holding and waving green leaves in their hands, the women sing various songs with some of them praising Melaye, while others were anti government ones.

Addressing the crowd, one of their leaders, Mrs Ikusemuro Jalo, said the senator had been in the vanguard if the fight for women, workers, pensioners and should not be tampered with.

She said, “We are mothers and we don’t want Dino to be mothers, we have been practising politics in Okunland but not politics of assassination.”

She therefore called on security operatives to unravel the mystery behind the attempt to kill the senator.

Melaye, who addressed the protesters in English, Yoruba and Hausa, said those after his life were doing so because of resolve to fight for the masses.

The senator said the assassination attempt was because of his stand on the plight of kogi workers and Pensioners in the state.

He noted that workers and pensioners in the state were dying and suffering following the refusal of the governor to pay salary and pensions in the last 15 months.

He said, “Alhaji Yahaya Bello collected N20 billion naira from federal government as bailout fund, still he refused to settle workers. He also collected N11 billion naira from Paris fund, still he refused to pay workers and pensioners.

“Children can no longer go to school, tenants can no longer pay for house rent, enough is enough the people of Kogi State are tired of this government,” he noted.

Melaye however said he would continue to speak the truth for the sake of his people saying no amount of intimidation will stop him from fighting for the course of his people.

Melaye described the situation as unfortunate, regrettable, highly disturbing and very strange to the socio-political-culture of the people of Kogi West.

“In the history of Kogi West, various political gladiators have, at various times, had their differences but none had ever been escalated to the level of attempt on life.

“Chief Awoniyi and Chief Daniyan (both of blessed memory) had their strong differences. Senator Dino Melaye and Prince Olusola Akanmode also had their differences.

“Arc Stephen Olorunfemi and Prince Olusola Akanmode and Tunde Ogbeha, also had their differences. Senator Dino Melaye and Senator Smart Adeyemi had their serious political differences, none of these differences was ever escalated to the horrendous level of assassination attempt. The recent incident is alien to Okun people and to Kogi West.

“The advent of Yahaya Bello as Governor and Taofiq Isa as Local Government administrator in the political firmament of Kogi state has brought this unfortunate socio-political paradigm shift,” he lamented.