Kogi indigenes have called on the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to investigate and arrest those who are instigating violence in the state through hate speech and unfounded allegations on social media.
The indigenes, who are from the three main ethnic groups in Kogi, said that they are concerned about the recent increase in violence in the state and believe that it is being fanned by those who do not want peace.
Richard Leke, vice president, Kogi Youth Leaders’ Forum; Ishaq Musa, organising secretary; Abdullahi Ugbede, member; and Adeyemi Olabode John, former PDP Kogi West Senatorial District Candidate, among others, jointly addressed the press on behalf of the indigenes.
They pointed to a protest that was held in Abuja on Tuesday by a group of people who were claiming to be Kogi indigenes. However, the indigenes said that the protesters were actually not from Kogi and were simply trying to blackmail the security agencies.
Furthermore, the representatives cited a social media post by Faruk Adejoh-Audu as an example of the kind of hate speech that is being used to incite violence in Kogi. They said that Audu’s post was capable of causing “intractable violence” in the state and that he should be investigated by the DSS.
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“As you can see, what Mr. Audu insinuated in his post can cause intractable violence in the state because it is meant to cause mass disaffection and violent clashes,” Ugbede said.
The indigenes then called on all genuine Kogi indigenes to stand up against the “merchants of disharmony” who are trying to destabilize the state. They said that they do not believe in “politics as a do-or-die affair” and that they want to see a peaceful election in Kogi in 2023.
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