ON April 22, 2017 5:47 PM
By BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO, LOKOJA

Hundreds of Kogi Women Saturday trooped to the street of Aiyetoro -Gbede (home town of Senator Dino Melaye) protesting over the assassination
attempt on Senator Dino Melaye.

The women drawn from the seven LGAs of Kogi West senatorial axis of the state also marched from the street to the senators house conveying their solidarity to him.

The protestants who latter goes spiritual raining curses on those who want to kill the senator, carried different ply cards with some inscriptions;

“We, Kogi West Women warn Yahaya Bello, Edward Onoja, Taofiq Isa; touch Dino Melaye and face our wrath”, “Do not kill the light, let the light shine” amidst others.

One of the spokesperson of the group, Mrs Ikusemoro Jalon while addressing the protestants said the politics of assassination is akin to the area,

“Senator Dino is fighting for our rights. The rights of women, workers pensioners and the less privileged, we don’t want him kill. “We are mothers we don’t want him murdered.

We’ve not see this type of politics before. We have been practising politics for long but not the politics of guns”.

The women call on the security agencies to unravel the situation and ensured that justice is prevailed.

Responding to the protestants, Senator Dino alleged that the reason why Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello wanted him dead was because of his stand on the plight of the state workers and Pensioners.
He noted that workers and pensioners in the state are dying and suffering following the refusal of the governor to pay salary and pensions in the last 15 months,

“Yahaya Bello collected N20 billion naira from federal government as bail out fund, still he refused to settle workers. He also collected N11 billion naira from Paris refund money, 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.
I will continue to speak the truth for the sake of my people. No amount of intimidation will stop me from fighting for the course of my people.”

Dino who expressed deep shock over the assassination attempt on his life 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. “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.

” I have fought for the rights of the people at the national level, God will not forgive me if I don’t fight for the rights of my people at home.”

Vanguardngr