*Demands revocation of Yari’s VISA
By Daniel Tyokua and Appolos Christian
The fratricidal war between the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Alhaji Sani Shinkafi and the former governor of Zamfara state, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari appear not to be over as the former over the weekend wrote to the Embassies of the United States Of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union asking for the revocation of the visa granted the former governor.
Shinkafi is insisting that Yari is a key sponsor militia groups that has been terrorizing the state in the last eight years.
But, Yari had denied these allegations and threatened to drag Shinkafi to court for allegedly maligning his good reputation.
However, in a letter sent to the Embassies of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, Shinkafi alleged that “Yari has been stoking the embers of violence and inciting his supporters to violence, all aimed at destabilizing the new administration in the state”.
According to APGA boss, “I am writing to demand for the prudential revocation visa of the former governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, for stoking the embers of violence and for sponsoring kidnappings and other acts of terrorism against the citizens of Zamfara State.
“The former governor since his ouster, as the Governor of Zamafar State, has been heard making some unguarded and provocative statements, inciting members of his faction of the All Progressives Congress(APC), to move against the state government and make the state insecure and unsafe for citizens of the state.
“It is on record that about 8,500 private militia popularly called “Yansakai” were recruited illegally by the past administration of Abdulaziz Yari in all the 17 LGAs through the former Commissioner for Local and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Bello Dankande Gamji, without any bill passed by State House of Assembly establishing the vigilante service group and assent by the governor as a law governing the recruitment and operations of Yansakai.
“It is still fresh in our memory and reported to security agencies the arrest, abduction, torture and killing of innocent citizens in the markets, streets, and with bodies lying on the streets, and nobody could stop them from the jungle justice that went on in the whole of Zamfara State during the Yari-led administration”.
Shinkafi, the current Secretary of the Board Of Trustees of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) added that Yari had publicly been inciting his factional APC members not to recognize the administration of Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle as the executive governor of Zamfara State, but insisted that they call him a sole administrator.
“Severally, he has rejected the 24th May, 2019 judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria calling the eminent jurists of the apex court all kinds of names”.
He insisted that the former governor is plotting to use the “armed bandits to disrupt the peace accord in the state”, adding that “the volunteer vigilante groups Yansakai loyal to Yari have refused to embrace the disarmaments and arms control programme of the state government initiated by Governor Matawalle”.
He claimed that the Zamfara State Police Command had on September 24, 2019, following reports that Boko Haram was planning to bomb the Central Mosque Gusau, Maradum, Anka, Talata Marafa, Kauran Namoda, Tsafe, as well as the planned assassination of the Deputy Governor and the Speaker of State Assembly banned, political rallies, meetings and processions in the state.
“However, in flagrant disregard former Governor Abdulaziz Yari was recently heard inciting his supporters to revolt against the state government with the sole aim of making the state ungovernable for the Matawalle-led government”.
He equally alleged that Shinkafi asked his supporters to resist the Zamfara State Urban and Regional Planning Board (ZUREPB), on the enforcement of Town Planning Law Cap 130, and the Zamfara State Edict No 2 of 1996.
He asked that Yari be investigated and possibly prosecuted for crimes against humanity for the past eight years.
“It is still fresh in our memory that the former Governor Abdul’aziz Yari imported 1,500 double barred guns in order to arm vigilante groups in the state.
“Sources have revealed that the federal government ordered the seizure of the guns based on the alleged contradiction of the Fire Arms Laws of Nigeria.
“I hereby request Your Excellency, to as a matter of urgent national importance, to revoke the Visa issued to Abdulaziz Yari, to avoid a situation whereby he would flee the country and run away from prosecution and possible imprisonment for crimes against humanity,” he alleged.
He also said he had “written several petitions against Yari over allegations of corruption, award of fictitious contracts, abuse of office, misappropriation of public funds and money laundering worth over N900 billion to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the commission has established evidence of the misappropriation of over N200 billion, yet they have refused to arrest and proscute him”.
To all these, close confidants to the former governor, who preferred not to be named, dismissed the allegations as the “rantings of a drowning man”, who should not be believed by any righ-thinking person.
