Fayose loyalist was shot dead by unknown gunmen, hoodlums went on a
rampage destroying the campaign office of the state governor, Kayode Fayemi,
as well as the APC secretariat. The thugs also destroyed properties belonging to
other politicians.
Today's chaos is believed to be an aftermath of the assassination of the former
chairman of the Ekiti state NURTW, Mr Omalafe Aderiye.
Above is a pic of Governor Fayemi's campaign office after it was razed. He has
since declared a 7pm-7am curfew in the state to halt the crisis. Continue to read
the full text of Governor Fayemi's broadcast in Ekiti today as he declared the
curfew...
THE PEACE OF OUR LAND IS NOT NEGOTIABLE
State Broadcast By
His Excellency
Dr. Kayode FAYEMI
Governor, Ekiti State, following the Breach of Peace in the State
Friday, September 26, 2014.
In o kun o Ekiti Kete.
It has become expedient that I address you today on account of dire happenings
in the land of honour, Ekiti State. With tension mounting across the state, Ekiti
has been the subject of alarming headlines in the news, following the tragic
assault on the judiciary.
On Monday, September 22, thugs acting on the incitement of an interested
party, were involved in the sacrilegious sacking of the court while hearing on a
political case was in progress.
This happened in full glare of the law enforcement agents with inappropriate
response. Clearly, these brigands exceeded the limits of acceptable behavior,
even in the most liberal of democracies, and ventured into the realm of blatant
criminality with this desecration of the hallowed chambers of the law.
The fact that this assault did not meet with any strong deterring repercussions
from the appropriate authorities further emboldened the miscreants. They
subsequently attempted to prevent the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition
Tribunal from sitting, yesterday, Thursday, September 25. I am advised
incontrovertibly that thugs acting on the command of Mr. Ayo Fayose, who was
also present to lend his clout to the travesty, brazenly assaulted a senior judge
and urged his thugs to beat him up and tear his clothes.
The court premises was thrown into confusion and those present scurried away
in search of safety and security. This was on the back of his specious allegation
that the judiciary in the state is compromised and biased against him. And the
answer to that was to resort to jungle justice and take the laws into his hands.
This has led to the closure of the courts indefinitely due to the inability of the
security agencies to guarantee the safety of lives and property in our temples
of justice. With the entrenched atmosphere of impunity, violence in the state has
escalated with the unfortunate loss of one life and the willful damage to several
properties to arson by rampaging thugs.
Since the beginning of this development on Monday, which is unprecedented in
the recent history of our state, I have been in touch with the Heads of all
Security Agencies at the State and Federal levels, urging them to act quickly
and firmly in the interest of public law and order. It is worrisome that the slow
and inadequate response has occasioned the avoidable escalation of violence in
our dear state.
Against this backdrop, it is understandable that not a few stakeholders have
expressed concern about what the development portends for our dear state. The
brazen contempt of our hallowed law courts and the use of violence and
intimidation to obstruct the course of justice is a clear invitation to anarchy of
the scale and texture that characterized Ekiti State some years ago. Ekiti Kete,
are those years upon us again?
Already, there is widespread anxiety about this development coming at a time
the state is going through the transitioning out of one administration and the
ushering in of a new one. This is a very delicate period that all stakeholders
must work together to ensure Ekiti State comes out stronger for it.
During periods of transition, vital partners in progress adopt a cautious posture,
watching for the slightest portents of the possible discontinuity of the regime of
peace and tranquility, amongst other factors that have made our state
conducive for investors and development partners. We must not disrupt our
very bright prospects for sustained development in our state.
Considering the cases that have triggered the recent spate of violence are
politically related, the political elite in our state from all disparate quarters must
exercise caution. We must rescue our state from the precarious slippery slope
that some have desperately pushed us to. We should not imperil the very
people we seek to serve by resorting to violence and brigandage. One does not
burn down his homestead to establish his claim of ownership or leadership.
Most assuredly, the course of Justice can only be delayed, but can never be
truncated. The independence of the Judiciary is an inviolable tenet of any
democracy. Accordingly, I have this morning directed the Attorney General of
the state to issue a legal advisory to the Chief Judge of the state and all the
parties to the existing cases in the State High Court and the Ekiti State
Governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal, on the desirability of seeking an
alternative venue for the hearing of these cases outside Ekiti State. The State can
no longer afford to witness the bizarre spectacle of the beating up of judicial
officers and wanton intimidation of lawyers and court personnel.
Now that the security agencies appear to be fully seized of the situation, I call on
them not to relent in performing their constitutional role of protecting lives and
property in our state.
Administrations come and go; politics can be frenetic when the stakes are high;
but by the grace of the Almighty God, our state remains for all time, therefore
THE PEACE OF OUR LAND IS NOT NEGOTIABLE.
Ekiti Kete, consistent with our history of unity and love, let us work together to
make our state a garden of concord where our children and their children will
dwell in peace and safety. Even in the pursuit of politics and justice, let us
conduct ourselves as kinsmen, bound by a shared love for Ekitiland but
differing only in the choice of instruments by which to accomplish the same
goal.
Let us then temper our competitive zeal with civility and empathy. Let us deal
truthfully with our youth, who are so liable to be led astray by unbridled
political fervour, by seeing them as our children rather than as conscripts or
fodder for our objectives.
Ekiti Kete, in order to forestall further descent into anarchy in our state, I am
taking the very difficult decision to suspend the ‘Thank You’ tour which I’m
undertaking as part of our transitioning-out formalities. Also, I have taken the
decision to institute a dusk to dawn curfew in the state immediately.
Accordingly, there would be no movement between the hours of 7.00 p.m. and
7.00 a.m. everyday till further notice. We urge the citizenry to be vigilant and
provide the security agencies with details of suspicious activities that can
undermine the peace in our state.
Let us work together to stop the violence and brigandage that has brought about
serious embarrassment to our state in the last few days.
Let Peace Reign in the land of honour, Ekiti State.
God bless Ekiti State.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dr. Kayode Fayemi
Governor, Ekiti State
Friday, September 26, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment