Date: 2020-09-16

KOGI state government has repatriated twenty-eight internally displaced persons brought from Kwara State to Yagba west local government back to Kwara state over the inability to prove their citizenship.

Yagba west Senior Special Assistance (SSA) on security, Mr Pious Kolawole disclosed this in a statement through his media assistance.

He noted that they repatriated the twenty-eight internally displaced persons brought from Kwara State to Yagba West Local Government over the inability to prove their claim as Citizen of Yagba west or having any bearing with anyone in the local government area

He noted that before their arrival, Kogi state government alerted him that the Kwara State Government communicated the State that some internally displaced persons that claimed to be Citizens of Yagba west local government will be brought to the local government area from Kwara state which according to them, were mainly Fulani by the tribe.

The statement added that ahead of their arrival the SSA security in charge of Yagba west invited the Chairman of Yagba west Miyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, the Ardo Ardondi Fulani of Yagba West LGA for identification for a reunion

He also alerted the two Divisional Police Officers of the Divisional headquarters and Officers in charge of various security operatives in the local government.

Consequent upon their arrival they were interrogated by the SSA security, the security officers and Ardo Ardondi Fulani of Yagba West LGA and the local government leader of Miyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association

They were unable to prove their authenticity as Yagba west Citizens neither were they able to trace anyone as their relations, the Ardo Ardondi Fulani of Yagba West LGA and representative of Miyeti Allah were also unable to identify any one of them.

"In view of the inability of internally displaced persons to establish their identity as Yagba west Citizens and their inability to prove their bearing with anyone in the local government area, the outcome of the interrogation shows they were originally moved from an IDP camp from Nasarawa to Kwara state.

"Yagba west SSA security provided lunch for them and hereby repatriated them back to Kwara state

"He appreciates His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello for creating an enabling environment for smooth operations and for putting in place a necessary mechanism for crime prevention and capacity intelligence gathering to combat crimes across all the local government areas in the State," the statement added.