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Bello, APC plotting to unleash terror on our members – Kogi PDP raises fresh alarm
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State, has raised an alarm over moves by the state governor, Mr Yahaya Bello, to deploy his agents to the State Secretariat of the party to allegedly extort the sum of N35.7 million from PDP candidates or they would be disallowed to display their posters or billboards or campaign in any public space in the state.
Spokesman of Kogi State PDP Presidential Election Management Committee, Faruk Adejoh-Audu, who made this known in a statement he issued on Thursday, November 10, 2022, said the demand by the state government was an alibi for visiting another round of violence on PDP and her members.
Adejoh-Audu, who also described the move as “yet another primitive display of brute force and abuse of constitutional power,” disclosed that the agents of the state were demanding that the party furnishes them with the Tax Clearance Certificates of all the PDP Candidates for the National and State Assembly Elections for scrutiny, claiming that they suspected that the tax certificates of the PDP candidates were fake.
Narrating their encounter with the state agents, Adejoh-Audu said: “For a start, Bello’s agents claimed they derived their powers to prevent PDP candidates from campaigning or displaying posters and billboards from an unknown signage law dated 2022, which they claimed was passed by the all- APC member House of Assembly.
“We are confident that no such law was passed in the Chambers of the House except, it was hurriedly written in Government House days ago and given to the Speaker and Clerk of the puppet legislature to sign for the purposes of targeting and clamping down on the PDP .
“Since his assumption of office in 2016, the APC government constituted a squad of violent urchins that stalk the state, tearing and defacing posters and bill boards of candidates of other parties.
“In 2019 only APC posters and billboards were visible across the state as the urchins attack persons pasting posters or mounting billboards.
“Secondly the state Secretariat of the party is not the custodian of Nomination forms, but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Thus, it is curious that they are threatening the party to produce the forms of all its candidates for them to scrutinise their tax certificates.”
The Kogi State PDP Presidential Election Management Committee Spokesman noted that the latest act of intimidation in the guise of signages and tax clearance follows a familiar pattern of sustained persecution by Bello against the PDP in Kogi State during election periods.
“From our experience, these antics will ultimately culminate in the cold-blooded killings of our supporters and party members.
“In the last two weeks, Bello, using proxies, had attempted to forcefully evict the party from its Secretariat in Okene. On the heels of this harassment, was the abduction of a new decampee from the APC, Ibrahim Fari Shafiu, by compromised security agents working for Bello.
“They claimed to have recovered explosives from the house of the decampee and labelled him a terrorist recruited by PDP.
“But the said Ibrahim, an ally of Bello before he decamped, by their own admission in a now viral video released by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Abdulkareem Asuku, was freed from prison and given lots of money to work for Bello before he defected to the PDP.
“Two days before Shafiu’s abduction, our party had cried out to the security agencies of plans by Bello to use his agents to plant explosives in the houses of party stalwarts and frame them up for arrests, but the alarm was ignored.
“Rather the security agencies were complicit in the operation to frame Shafiu which had been infamously and erroneously misrepresented as American military clamping down on a terrorist in Trademore Estate, Lugbe,” Adeloh-Audu alleged.
He said that the PDP was familiar with “Bello’s despicable repressive tactics.”
“In the build up to the 2019 Kogi Governorship By-Election, a Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police and Head of PDP Elections Security Committee in Dekina LGA, Mr Eje Abutu, dreaded by Bello’s thugs who had guns dumped in his house by his abductors.
“Some of the abductors were dressed in military camouflage while others wore mufti and bullet armoured vests.
“They dragged him from the bed where he was sleeping with his little son. In what would qualify for a horror movie, the toddler watched while they beat and brutalised his father before forcing him to pose for photographs with the firearms before abducting him,” he added.
Adejoh-Audu said that the Kogi State Police Command denied knowledge of the incident and claimed he was not in their custody. Mr Abutu luckily escaped assassination because some Police personnel who knew him previously as their superior, leaked his whereabouts and warned that unless his family raised alarm, he was going to be quietly eliminated. That was how the former Assistant Commissioner of Police was saved from a cruel fate. But he was held in detention until the election was over.
Giving further details of the alleged onslaught of the opposition party in the state, the Kogi State PDP Presidential Election Management Committee Spokesman said:
“The Okene LG Chairman of the party, Alhaji Musa Adelabu, wasn’t that lucky. He was abducted from his home by unknown armed men dressed in military camouflage in early August 2019, some three months to the Bye-Election.
“More than three years later, Adelabu has not been found despite repeated outcry and appeal by the party. We dread to think of the fate that must have been visited on him.
“The election itself became the bloodiest in the history of democracy in Kogi State, with thugs killing people across the state while a Police helicopter was shooting at voters from the air.
“Even after the elections, the Women Leader of Ochadamu Ward, Mrs Salome Acheju Abu, was forcefully barricaded in her house by APC thugs and roasted alive. Our supporters were killed in several local government areas.
“We have gone to this length to show Mr Bello’s modus operandi and his appetite for unprovoked violence during electioneering seasons.
“These flurries of threats and harrying in the last two weeks are signs we recognize as precursors to full scale violence and bloodbath on our members and supporters.
“We do not say this lightly. Bello is recorded on video threatening to personally kill and maim anyone who attempts to prevent him from winning the upcoming elections.”
Kogi PDP, therefore, appealed to security agencies to act to nip the impending danger in the bud so that free and fair polls could take place in the state.
“Again we cry out to the world and the security institutions to dismantle Mr Bello’s infrastructure of violence and liberate the people of Kogi State to freely exercise their constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights to participate in the elections without fear or harm.
“We call on all men of good conscience to add their voice to arresting the situation in Kogi State where the rule of force has clearly undermined free choice,” Adejoh-Audu added.
Efforts to get the reaction of the governor’s aides to the PDP’s public outcry proved abortive by press time but The Advocate obtained copies of the letters written to the opposition party threatening to stop their candidates from campaign if they failed to meet the demands made by the government.
The contentious letters from Kogi State Government to the State Chapter of PDP:
Motorists and travellers using the Benin-Agbor-Asaba route have been stranded for days as severe traffic congestion continues to disrupt movement between the South-South, South-East and Lagos.
The gridlock, which has reportedly persisted for about five days, has left motorists spending long hours on the road, with some travellers unable to reach their destinations.
The situation has been attributed largely to the poor condition of sections of the road, which has been further worsened by heavy rainfall in the area.
Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi and some National Assembly members inspecting Benin-Agbor road on Tuesday
The rain has reportedly made some portions of the road difficult to navigate, resulting in vehicles becoming stuck and worsening the already severe congestion.
The route is a major link for motorists travelling between Lagos and several states in the South-South and South-East, making the prolonged gridlock a major concern for travellers, transport operators and motorists.
Some motorists have reportedly been forced to spend extended periods on the road as efforts to navigate the affected sections have proved difficult.
The development has also raised concerns about the impact of the bad road on the movement of goods and passengers, particularly during the rainy season.
Travellers using the route have called for urgent intervention to restore movement and prevent further deterioration of the situation.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, on Tuesday led an urgent federal intervention on the congested Benin-Agbor-Asaba Expressway following President Bola Tinubu’s order to ease the hardship faced by stranded motorists.
Umah’s arrival in Edo State was disclosed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, who shared a video of the minister’s on-site inspection on his official X handle.
“Umahi arrives in Benin, Edo State, to address the congestion on the Benin-Agbor-Asaba Road,” Nwaze posted, adding in a subsequent update, “Umahi arrives Benin-Agbor-Asaba Road to resolve issues surrounding the road, which was handed over to concessionaire on PPP Basis since 2025.”
In an official press statement issued on Tuesday, Nwaze confirmed that Tinubu ordered immediate corrective measures on both the Benin-Agbor-Asaba axis and the deplorable Ifaki-Kabba-Ado Ekiti road spanning Ekiti and Kogi States.
To execute the directive, Umahi reportedly deployed the Minister of State for Works alongside ministry officials to commence remedial works on the Ekiti-Kogi corridor.
“While the intervention team moved into Ekiti and Kogi States, Umahi himself headed to Benin, Edo State, alongside members of the National Assembly Works Committees, to initiate a similar coordinated intervention on the Benin-Agbor-Asaba road.
“The Benin meeting is expected to bring together key stakeholders, including representatives of the Edo and Delta State Governments and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), with the aim of finding immediate solutions to the challenges confronting motorists on the strategic corridor,” the statement partly read.
The FCT Police Command has identified officers accused of allegedly extorting N40,000 from a resident along Wuye-Utako Road, near Salem Church, in the Federal Capital Territory.
The Command said the officers depicted in a video circulating on social media had been identified and were in custody.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
“The attention of the Commissioner of Police, FCT Police Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, PhD, FCAI, has been drawn to a video circulating on social media alleging that police officers of the FCT Police Command extorted an FCT resident of the sum of Forty Thousand Naira (₦40,000) along Wuye – Utako Road, by Salem Church, within the Federal Capital Territory.
“The officers depicted in the video have been identified and are in custody,” the statement read.
The video, which began circulating widely on social media around August 24, features a man who claimed that on August 20, 2026, a police officer in Abuja collected ₦40,000 from him even after verifying that his documents were complete.
The man shared footage showing a receipt and a conversation after he returned to the checkpoint.
Adeh said the Command had also invited the complainant to the FCT Police Command Headquarters to give an official statement on the incident to aid investigation and disciplinary action.
Country music legend and Hollywood star, Dolly Parton, has died at the age of 80, her family has announced.
Parton’s nephew, Brian Seaver, announced her death on Tuesday in a video shared on her social media account, describing the moment as one of “absolute pride and great sadness”. The family did not immediately disclose the cause of death.
The Tennessee-born singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist enjoyed a career spanning more than six decades and became one of the most recognisable figures in American popular culture.
Late Dolly Parton
Known as the “Queen of Country”, Parton sold more than 100 million records worldwide and earned numerous honours, including multiple Grammy Awards. Her enduring hits included “Jolene”, “I Will Always Love You”, “9 to 5” and “Coat of Many Colors”.
Her death came after a period of health challenges. In May, Parton announced the cancellation of a Las Vegas performance, revealing that she had been undergoing treatment for kidney stones and was also dealing with problems affecting her immune and digestive systems.
Just days before her death, Parton had indicated that she was still determined to work despite acknowledging that she had slowed down following the death of her husband, Carl Dean, in March 2025.
“Even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’!” she said, insisting that she still had many things she wanted to accomplish.
Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, the fourth of 12 children in a poor family. She grew up in the Appalachian region, where her mother’s love for traditional music helped nurture her passion for singing and songwriting.
She began performing as a child and moved to Nashville shortly after graduating from high school in 1964. Her songwriting talent soon earned her recognition, before she established herself as a major recording artiste.
Parton’s breakthrough included “Jolene”, which became one of her signature songs. Her composition “I Will Always Love You” later became a global hit for Whitney Houston after the singer recorded it for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.
Beyond music, Parton built a successful acting career, starring in films including 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. She also became a prominent businesswoman through Dollywood, the theme park she established in Tennessee in 1986.
Her influence extended well beyond entertainment. Parton founded the Dollywood Foundation and its Imagination Library initiative, which provides free books to children, making childhood literacy one of the major causes associated with her name.
She also donated $1 million to coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University in 2020, funding that contributed to research that later helped in the development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Parton’s personal life also attracted public interest. She married Carl Dean in 1966, and the couple remained together for nearly six decades until his death in 2025. They had no children.
Despite her global fame, Parton remained closely connected to her Tennessee roots and used her success to support communities, education, healthcare and other charitable causes.
Her death brings to an end the life of an entertainer whose influence crossed generations, musical genres and national boundaries, leaving behind a vast catalogue of songs and a philanthropic legacy that extended far beyond country music.
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