Friends of Prof. Steve T. Ugbah USA
Playing opposition party politics in Benue State can be akin to playing Russian roulette, and can often lead to wrongful arrests, discrimination, or worse still, death.
Unlike in the free world where opposition parties task themselves with playing the role of watchdog to keep the ruling party on their toes, the Benue State Governor, Dr. Gabriel Toruwa Suswam has elected to subdue the opposition or eliminate them altogether.
That is the fate of those who woke up in Ugbah Village in Logo Local Government Area on Monday October 13, 2011, thinking it would be an ordinary day. Little did they know that day will go down in history as a bloody day just because they dared express shock at the killing of one of their most valuable residents along with his brother, a recent graduate of Benue State University.
Mr. Agber was until his death, a well-known micro-credit financier who had loaned to all regardless of party affiliation, albeit sympathetic to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
When friends and family discovered the remains of the now deceased Celestine who was murdered along with his brother, they would also find out that the deceased were also beheaded.
Incensed, the villagers swung into mob action and launched reprisal attacks, and the casualties went from six originally to 30 and possibly more within the next 24 hours. In addition, over sixty homes were burnt, and the casualties if not contained could mount.
Since the April 26, 2011 governorship election in Benue State, the opposition have been hunted like game - some have lost their jobs, been demoted or transferred; while others who were not so lucky have lost their lives including Mr. Charles Ayede, who until his death served as the Communications Director to Prof. Steve Ugbah who challenged Governor Suswam under the platform of the ACN. Mr. Ayede was the first publicized victim of political assassination in Benue State after the elections.
So many others have been targets of violence, intimidation and threats by text messaging, and phone calls. None of these acts are hidden from the Presidency or the office of the Senate President who himself hails from Benue State.
For the past six months, Governor Suswam has ruled Benue State with an iron fist, and twisted reality every time it suited him. On this recent mayhem in Ugbah Village, and without investigation, the governor promptly pronounced the death of Celestine as the handiwork of unhappy clients, while characterizing the ensuing fracas as the handiwork of the opposition.
The timing of Suswam’s most recent state sponsored terrorism could have been anticipated. The legal noose around his neck is gradually tightening. The case filed against him by his fellow PDP stalwart Mr. Terver Kakih regarding his elusive certificate has commenced this week with a mandate from the Chief Justice of the Nation that the court take no more than 21 days to adjudicate the case cannot be pleasing to Suswam’s ears.
Similarly, a suit brought against him by Prof. Daniel Saror will soon be heard. To make matters worse, Prof. Ugbah and his team are on the go in their march to the Supreme Court to regain the Benue people’s stolen mandate from Governor Suswam..
Wounded and cornered, Suswam lashed out, and sought to quickly blame the opposition for the latest violence. After all, the people of Benue do not have a mind of their own, for most of their thinking must be done for them by opposition leaders.
It’s obvious that the strong man of Benue State continues to operate unfettered; committing atrocities in the name maintaining order, thereby stamping out the opposition - especially those with the scarlet letter ACN associated with them. But as the world stands by and watches, Benue citizens are dying and getting maimed.
A plethora of human rights atrocities are ongoing in Benue State, and the chief protagonist also happens to be the chief security officer of the state. Most alarming is the deafening silence of President Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President David Mark which may lead one to infer their tacit approval.
If Nigeria is not a one party state, when will the realization that political opposition is here to stay sink into the consciousness of those at the helm of affairs in Nigeria?
When will those who have no say in the running of the affairs of the country ever receive justice?
When will the citizens of Benue State who voted for change, a different kind of leadership get a fair judgment?
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