Women in Ihima, Okehi local government council in Kogi Central on Tuesday shutdown market as they continue to protest against Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello over infiltration of Guns in Kogi central ahead of the general elections.
Most roads were shutdown by the protesters as passengers and vehicles were left stranded just as group condenm attempt to militarize elections in kogi central.
The protest which started last Saturday shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission announced the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections took a new dimension on Tuesday as the ever busy Central market in Ihima was shut dowm to draw the attention of the state government to their demand.
Among other demands,the market women said that too many guns and ammunitions have infiltrated the state asking government to take urgent measures to withdraw them before the election day.
Spokesperson of the market women, Safiya Usman said their protest aimed at calling on the attention of Gov. Yahaya Bello to urgently see reason to mop up and retrieve small arms said to be in the hands of political thugs.
Until the postponement of the presidential and national assembly elections, the central senatorial district, particularly Okehi LGA with Ihima as headquarters had witnessed spate of violence, arson and killings.
The spokesperson for the Ihima Central Market women say they would continuously seek for peace in Okehi LGA, asking the state govern to immediately put in place mechanism to retrieve small arms in circulation.
The women said that since the beginning of the political violence in the community, it has claimed several lives, with fifteen houses razed, claimed properties worth millions of naira and several youths nursing the wounds sustained from gunshots.
Also speaking on behalf of the women, Mrs. Abdulrahman said they can no longer sit in their houses and watch their children being killed and their houses and other valuables burnt by the thugs who were armed to cause confusion in the land in the name of politics.
She accused politicians as the perpetrators of the heinous crimes calling on the government to retrieve the guns distributed to their children to maim and kill themselves.
Meanwhile, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), the citizens Rights Coalition has condenmed attempts by certain category of politicians from the ruling All Action Congress (APC) to Militarize last Saturday elections in parts of kogi central.
Speaking on the reschedule elections, the group in a press statement by Comrade, Habib S A Yunus said that facts available to the group revealed that some political appointee supplied arms to thugs few days to the election day, with a view to disenfranchise voters, especially in areas they assume to be under the control of opposition parties.
Consequently, there was an all night sporadic shooting of guns on the eve of Saturday 16/02 /2019 in parts of kogi central especially okene, Ihima and Adavi. The group then called on kogi state Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello to call the political appointees from the area to order for peace /tranquility to reign.
The statement also called on government to ensure the protection of lives /properties of the citizens, as well as allow people to exercise their freedom of franchise without any form of harassment and intimidation.
