Post presidential election violence premeditated -Ndigbo chieftain

Posted by admin Elections 2011, Latest Politics Sunday, July 10th, 2011

THE post-presidential election violence which took place in most part of the North and which resulted in the death of many innocent Nigerians, including 10 youth corps members has been said to be premeditated.

This was disclosed to journalists by the Ndigbo community leader in Kano, Chief Tobias Michael Idika, during the conferment of distinguished leadership merit award on him by the Christian Democratic Journalists, in Lagos, on Saturday.

In his address on the occasion, Chief Idika, who had lived in Kano for the past 30 years, said “I stand here to affirm that the violence which trailed President Goodluck Jonathan’s victory was premeditated and a calculated attempt to debase and smear the southerners living in the North.

“I stood my ground at th Sheikh Ahmed Lemu’s presidential panel sitting at Sani Abacha Stadium indoor sport hall on Monday, July 4, to defend this fact.”

According to Chief Idika, in March, inside the office of the Kano State commissioner of police, the Director-General of Hisbah Board in Kano State, Seidu Dukaka, in my presence and that of the commissioner and others, threatened that in one month time, there was going to be an unprecendented violence in Kano.

He said on April 18, hundreds of southerners were killed without the police or Hisbah Sharia’ah Police protecting the non- Muslims living in the state.

The Southerners in Kano State are calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to come to theit aid as the Hisbah board created by the former Governor of Kano State Mallam Ibrahim Shekerau eight years ago have brought untold suffering on non natives and non Muslims living in Kano State. We call on the Federal Government to prescribe the deadly Hisbah Board Sharia’ah Police before it turn to the likes of Boko Haram for the interest of peace and unity in Kano State.

Chief Tobias Idika went on to say that this Hisbah board operates like mafian group harassing, confiscating and destroying over 150 trailers and the alcohol drinks loaded on it worth over 5 billion naira even aftr collecting taxes from the owners. The Hisbah Board has usurp power from the Police to unleash terror and mathem on Southerne living in Kanos State . They even invade Police stations to arrest Police Officer who are non Muslims with the excuse that they ae dealing on alcohl.

If you go to court, the Kano Hisbah would use terrorist tactics to harass, abuse and intimidate Judges and Magistrate. The situation in Kano at present is so brutal and worrisome that after illegally arresting an innocent non native or non Muslim they would insist the suspect is taken and trialed in a Sharia’ah Court even when a court of competent Jurisdiction intervene and grant bail to the suspect. The Kano Hisbah Sharia’ah Police will re- arrest and detain the person in their make shift cells.

The Federal Government should come to the aid of the Southerners in Kano before another set of Southerners are massacre in cold blood he concluded.

-Tribunewp_posts