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 Daily Independent Online.
* Monday,July 19, 2004.
Blame Gov. Akume for Benue crisis ---Senator
Saror
As the Senate
Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Daniel Saror is a respected voice in the upper legislative chamber of the National
Assemby. He weighs his words before he speaks and so when he brought to
the notice of the Senate the ugly political events in his Benue
North-East senatorial district that have claimed several lives in Kwande
local government, his colleagues had no option than to investigate the
matter. The investigating committee has since presented the report to the
Senate and reactions have poured in, one of which Saror took strong
exceptions to. In this interview with Chesa Chesa, National Assembly Correspondent,
the former Vice-Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) spoke on
how the last council polls triggered the mayhem and what efforts he made
to get the executive intervene in the crisis. He pointedly accused the
Benue State government of breaching an earlier peace agreement and
fanning the embers of the crisis. Excerpts:
A
member of the House of Representatives who also hails from Benue State
has condemned the Senate report on the Kwande crisis. Considering the
fact that you were the person that moved the motion on the floor of the
Senate, what is your response to this development?
It is a very
unfortunate development that such a comment is coming from a member of
the House of Representatives who is a confidant of the Governor of Benue
State over the report. The Senate ad-hoc committee was in Benue State
from May 30 to June 1, 2004. They did an exceptionally thorough job. They
spoke with the governor for about 30 minutes on Monday, June 31; they
spoke with the Tor-Tiv who is the paramount ruler of all Tivs in Benue
State, they spoke with the Ter-Kwande and chairman of Kwande Local
Government Area.
The committee also visited
Jato-Aka, which was vandalized by the militia, they visited Paul Unongo’s
village that has been burnt down. The committee had an extensive session
with the Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Mzenda Iho, up to the
early hours of Tuesday June 1. The committee also invited me. I went to
Makurdi and had discussions with them on Tuesday June 1. There were also
the governor and three senators. We discussed and it was completely
agreed that from all available evidence, elections took place in Kwande
and the election was won by the ANPP and that the results of that
election should be announced.
That was the agreement that
was reached on that day at the David Jonah Jang lounge in Makurdi in my
presence.
Now, the Benue state governor
felt that if they did that immediately, it would be clear that they had
interfered with the results and they wanted to find a soft landing. Then,
the Speaker of the State Assembly was invited and asked to go and amend
the electoral law to extend the time of the tribunal so that all
aggrieved persons can still file their cases at the tribunal because at
that time, the time set for the tribunal to attend to petitions had
lapsed. The essence was that if the tribunal now rules that the ANPP won,
it would not appear as if the governor interfered withn the results and
it would not be an indictment on the Benue State Independent Electoral
Commission. That was the agreement we reached in Makurdi. Surprisingly, two days later, the
same governor of Benue State came to Abuja and swore before the
authorities that; “There was no election in Kwande local government”.
That action breached the whole agreement that was made.
Let me tell you frankly that
there was an agreement as I have told you earlier and I don’t know why
the governor chose to be economical with the truth.
If
this was the true position, why do you think there is a media war against
the Senate committee’s report? Specifically, what do you make of the
verdict given by a member of the lower house?
It is disappointing
and I find it very embarrassing because I am from Benue State. It is
unfortunate that a riff-raff is trying to impugn the character of a
distinguished Nigerian in the person of Senator Iyabode Anisulowo. This
is a lady that was a minister in this country 21 years ago. This is a
woman that has aspired to the governorship position in her state. This is
a woman that is chairing a very sensitive committee of the Senate and is
doing an excellent job.
This is a woman that the
Senate respects, so, the press conference by Honourable Terngu Tsegba is not just an insult on
Senator Anisulowo, it is an insult on the entire Senate.
I feel sorry that Terngu
Tsegba comes from Benue and I can tell you that nobody in his right
senses, properly brought up, who is educated and who has respect for
other people in a community that he lives would use gutter language as
Terngu Tsegba used to describe a distinguished Senator. I am ashamed of
him.
He also alleged that some
militiamen were arrested from your place Zaki-Biam and are presently
being detained in Abuja. Is that true?
I have asked my
lawyer to file a case of libel against him to prove that I have militia
and that they were arrested in my house and are being detained in Abuja,
I think that is the only way I can exonerate myself of that allegation.
Don’t
you think this controversy will affect deliberations on the report before
the Senate?
I don’t think
there is any controversy; the report was submitted to the Senate last
week, it will be a subject for debate like any other when the Senate
resumes from its recess.
Now
that the agreement reached in Makurdi seems to have been breached, what
is the next line of action?
The picture the
governor of Benue State is trying to paint now is that they have
constitutional responsibility and that they alone can determine what
happens in the state and nobody can have a say. That is the argument the
state government is advancing.
What
in your view is the interest of the governor particularly in Kwande?
I don’t know, but
you see the problem in Kwande started since after the local government
election. Actually, the ANPP candidates after going to court over the
election result went out to protest when nothing was done. Then, the PDP
government went ahead and empowered youths to go and burn down people’s
houses in April. The governor said that the ANPP protested and the PDP
retaliated and went on revenge mission. According to the governor, the
ANPP had been attacking them for too long and that was time for them to
revenge.
This revenge is now being
coordinated by the PDP militia who are reported to be under the control
of one retired Colonel Basil Kwembeh at Adikpo.
That is the militia that has
being causing havoc in Kwande local government and as the person
representing that area; I have consistently drawn the attention of the
necessary authorities to this matter. I have been to the
Inspector-General of Police and I told him that in my own opinion, there
was a break down of law and order in Kwande and that he should do
something to restore order in that place. When I did not get any response
from him and the killings continued, I wrote to him again on May 2,
appealing to him to please go and restore law and order in that place. I
wrote the president on May 5, telling him that in my opinion there was
break down of law and order in Kwande and telling him again to please
restore order in that place.
Up till Monday, May 17, there were still killings.
Newswatch of that week showed pictures of these killings and I took a
copy of the magazine, made photocopies, wrote a letter again to the
president and handed it over to him in person and appealed to him to
please do something about Kwande. It was after all these that I took the
matter to the leadership of the Senate on the May 24, 2004 and I told the
leadership that I have a problem in my constituency; that there were
massive killings and that the people are so armed that the police cannot
go near them. It was based on my explanation to the leadership of the
Senate that I was allowed to raise a motion and this motion had to be
approved by the Senate President before it was moved on the floor of the
Senate and the motion was very clear.
Let me tell you that despite
the massive killings, the Benue State government has put a systematic
structure in place that could not allow the information get outside of
the state. I have told you all the steps that I took before the matter
got to the floor of the Senate, yet the Benue State government has
mounted a vicious campaign against me, that I called for a state of
emergency. Even this Terngu Tsegba went on air to say that I called for a
state of emergency and he has no document to show that there is any
evidence anywhere to prove that I called for a state of emergency in
Benue. I thank God that the Senate responded positively. I thank God that
Senator Anisulowo took her time and her money, because she was not given
any money by the Senate, yet she used her money to go to Benue with the
senators that went with her and did that excellent job.
If I show you the tape of
Anisulowo and the committee, you would appreciate that she did a thorough
job. Now, she has presented her report and somebody like Terngu Tsegba,
who, if he were to be a son of Senator Anisulowo would be the last one
would come out and try to rubbish a woman of that calibre.
I was told the governor called
the minority leader of the State Assembly and told him to go and call his
militia to order and when the leader told him that he has no militia he
used that opportunity to castigate Anisulowo and myself. So the governor
of Benue believes that when they take money, they can turn what is black
into white, a lie into truth and blood into wine.
That is his belief. I am happy
that the truth is unfolding and Nigerians would come to realize what type
of government there is in Benue State.
How
pervasive is the presence of the militia in Kwande now?
There are militia all over Kwande.
Even on Sunday last week, a Catholic church was organizing collection to
go and visit the refugees, and the militia went there, shot into the air,
scaring people away and then they took away all that was gathered. Two
days ago the NKST synod was overrun by the militia, the pastor there
cried because all that they gathered to go and give to the refugees, the
militia could not allow them to deliver. Just yesterday, again. I wrote
to Mr. President telling him of what is happening, he would get the
letter today (last week)
Now
that it appears dialogue has failed, would you support a state of
emergency in Benue State?
I would not call for a state of
emergency in Benue but I can say that Section 14 of the Constitution
states that the purpose of government is to provide security and provide
for the welfare of the people. The governor swore that they have a
constitutional responsibility to ensure the security of lives of the
people and provide the people good governance but the reverse is the case
in Benue. Since April, 2004, there has being a complete breakdown of law
and order in Kwande local government.
The situation we have now is
that neither the state nor federal government has discharged its
responsibilities properly as contained in the Constitution and I owe the
people, as their representative, a duty to do something and I am doing it
from a constitutional point of view. It is the duty of the government to
ensure the security of the people. But what has happened in Benue is that
the state government has raised an army, a sophisticated army with a
command structure, with uniforms and arms.
This army has taken over the
whole local government; this army is available for the government of
Benue for use any time it likes.
The state government controls
this army; it is not under the control of the Nigerian army. Again, for
Mr. President who is the chief security officer of Nigeria to know these
things and keep quite this long is an embarrassment to me. It is
completely embarrassing that Obasanjo, who is the president of the
strongest country in Africa, would have in his country a military force
that is outside his control and would do nothing. Let me tell you one
thing, as far as I am concerned, the state executive is pushing the state
to a state of emergency because if this would happen in Kwande and the
state government could not arrest and disarm the militia, it is then
really unfortunate. The federal government should enforce its authority
and dislodge the militia in the state.
The Benue State government is
the architect of that militia, they raised this militia and they are
using it the way they want.
What
would it cost you to demand for a state of emergency in Benue?
I have done all
that I could; I have made all relevant communications with relevant
authorities I have even written the governor of Benue State on
June 3, 2004 and I told him
that since we are still having this kind of situation, he should meet the
State Assembly and facilitate peace but what I saw was a tape on AIT
where he was accusing me of having militia. I wrote him again on June 8
and told him that I saw what he said and I could not allow it go like
that. He then got annoyed because I told him some home truth. I told him
that when we did elections in 1999 there was no single militia; in 2003
the place was populated with militia and soldiers. I told him that I
don’t have control over soldiers and I don’t have control over mobile
police and I don’t have militia. All my life, I have not worked with any
police escort. Even when I was the vice-chancellor of ABU and I had
crisis, nobody attached a policeman to me, I never had any personal
security with me.
It would even surprise you
that up till Friday March 26, 2004, we had no candidate for the local
government election because the state electoral commission disqualified
all the nine candidates from my zone. Their reason was that those
candidates did not have tax certificates, even when some of them
presented to the commission certificates of pay-as-you-earn. It was a
high court that ruled on that same Friday by 3 p.m. that these people
could not be stopped from contesting elections on the basis of that. And
by the time the candidates came to Makurdi, it was 5pm.
The truth is that the Benue
State Independent Electoral Commission was manipulated by the state
governor to disqualify every ANPP candidate from my zone. So, I am sorry that we have this
kind of misrule in Benue State. But let me assure you that this matter
would be brought up because, one, the governor of Benue State is at war
with the Senate, and he is at war with Anisulowo and also at war with me.
In
your opinion, what does the governor of Benue State want to achieve?
The governor wants to impose an
election on the people in a place that he has no control over, and
because of that even this militia that he has armed; he cannot retrieve
the arms from their hands. Even the Army don’t give soldiers arms to keep
in their houses, you only go to the armoury and sign for the arms and
return them to the armoury. But in Kwande, there are more than five
hundred people armed with guns and the governor cannot withdraw these
arms, I think the situation needs a superior force to take over that
place and recover these arms, otherwise that state is not safe.
Would
you be disposed to further dialogue with the state government over the
matter?
No, I dont want to talk to them
any longer. Look I was there in Makurdi when the agreement was reached
with the state governor and he has breached that very good arrangement.
Has
the Inspector-General of Police or President Obasanjo replied any of your
letters?
The IG has not replied me but the
President replied my letter of June 18, 2004 on June 22, 2004 through one
Mr. Ojo who told me that the President had received my letter and that
there would be further action, but even up till this moment there are
still killings in that place. Two days ago, two people were killed and
one of them is my in-law. I can tell you that Adikpo has become a no-go
area.
Do
you still go to Kwande?
I can’t go to
Kwande because there are too many people carrying firearms around. I
cannot even go to Ukum, which is my local government, because they have
earmarked people to kill me. You would be surprised that on the road to
my house, they have stationed some militiamen armed with guns and Thuraya
phones and I am their target, so I can’t go there again.
Now,
what do we make of democracy in Benue State?
It is unfortunate
that the people that came into power in Benue State decided that they
will only steal money and use the same money to suppress the average
people and I told the governor all these in my letter to him. In Benue State, discrimination
has become the order of the day as a matter of policy and once you
challenge that policy you are termed an enemy. So law and order must be
ensured in that state otherwise the fate of democracy there will remain
hanging.
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