Date: 2005-09-29

Three days into the crisis that has, according to official sources, claimed, three lives in Ilorin over chieftaincy disputes, the Kwara State Government and former governor of the state, Alhaji Mohammed Lawal, yesterday traded accusations on causes of the disturbance.

Lawal at a press conference accused Dr. Olusola Saraki and the incumbent governor, Bukola Saraki of masterminding the deposition of some kingmakers by the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambari, a development which allegedly caused the violent clashes. Lawal's family house and his campaign office in Ilorin were on Monday torched.
The State Government, however, blamed Lawal for trying to return the state to violence and disorder, the hallmark of his administration.
Lawal said the governor and his father instigated the Emir to depose the kingmakers so that they can replace them with their own candidates.
"Surprisingly and interestingly, it is not the Afonja house that is causing this riot, I want to make it very abundantly clear that it is from the palace and adequately aided and abated by the government of Kwara State. After turbanning who he wanted to turban, he wanted to come and parade the person in front of the Afonja family and they were bringing him home, literally. The people would refuse and therefore, there was commotion between the people that were bringing him and the members of the Afonja family. I think we lost about three to five people", he said.
While accusing the State government of pursuing a personal vendetta mission, the former governor said the action of the governor has factionalized the State and created unnecessary tensions.
According to him, "someone phoned me that Bukola went to my family home to go and see the havoc. Let me tell you the truth, about five months ago, I lost my dear father, Bukola has not said anything to me, he has not sent any emissaries to me till now. About three weeks ago, my mother passed away, we went through the same process, he didn't talk to me, he didn't say anything to the family, he didn't send any emissaries to me. After the havoc, what is he looking for in my father's house? I am not impressed by his visit to my family house, if not for the fact that I am a man of peace, it would have been a great mayhem as a result of his visit to my family house if not for the control I have on my family. I want the whole world to know that it was just a political gimmick, it was only a press show otherwise what did he go there to do?," Lawal maintained.
On the Emir of Ilorin, Lawal said Gambari has always remained a royal father he respected but was however, surprised at the turn of event.
"There is no need to fight. I love peace and I am a lover of peace. The Emir should know that we are all under him as our father and should be able to reflect on the causes of the crisis that have plagued the State. He is the 11th Emir and should know that there has been 10 other Emirs before him", he added.
Lawal said he was instrumental to Gambari's selection as the Emir of Ilorin, and that this was made possible due to the Emir's long time relationship with him, especially during his days at the Appeal Court in Ibadan.
"When the stool of the Emir became vacant, I was one of the people that saw him to the throne. But today it is a different story. I am surprised that one of those loittering around with him today was even against his being selected as the Emir but today, that person is his friend.
"The vacant seat of the Mogaji Aare of Ilorin which was last occupied by my late father is what they are after. In the procedure, we have one Mogaji Aare and one Baba Isale and they were both from the lineage and descendant of the great Afonja; and whenever each one is vacant, the other becomes the chairman of the selection committee of the king makers. We created our own Mogaji Aare and Baba Isale and they are taken to the palace for the Emir to turban; so this is the procedure.
He accused Governor Saraki of allowing politics to take undue position over governance.
"He should leave 2007 politics out of this whole thing. There is no point creating tension when there is no need for that," he said.
In a statement signed by Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Bisi Abodoye, the government stated that since the inception of the Saraki administration in 2003, the violent crimes and disorder that was the hallmark of Lawal's administration had given way to peace and order, "and Kwara State has reclaimed its status as the state of peace and harmony."
The government said it was preposterous for anyone to suggest or insinuate that the state government would instigate, foment or participate in a situation that would breach the peace and distract the attention of the government in its efforts to transform the economy of the state and empower its people.
"We want to assure all Kwarans and friends of the state that the competent authorities have contained the unfortunate attempt by a few unscrupulous persons to re-introduce chaos into the state of harmony and disrupt the good governance for which Kwara State has now come to be known," it stated.
Meanwhile, the police have deployed men to screen people entrying into Ilorin from all entry points. Also, the police command has vowed to deal with any perceived sponsor of the crisis.
THISDAY checks at the entry points indicated that mobile policemen are now guarding such entrances as Lasoju along Ilorin/Ogbomosho federal highway and Omupo/Koko end of Offa/Omu-Aran federal highway,
It was gathered that the decision to guard the points might not be unconnected with the reported threat of invasion of Ilorin by members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC)s to avenge the police attack on Idi-Ape, a Yoruba settlement area in Ilorin.
Adetachment of anti-riot police have been noticed along the highways since the crisis broke out on Sunday.
The effect of the crisis on the state capital was still very obvious yesterday as THISDAY's visit to the crisis areas revealed burnt shops and houses as well as spent pellets.
Though normalcy appeared to have been restored, but the police said they would not withdraw their men because they were not sure the perpetrators of violence would not resume their trade.
Residents still moved around with raised hands but were disallowed from going through the troubled area of Idi-Ape with an armoured tank stationed in front of the Oja branch of the Trade Bank while a van conveying mobile policemen was seen moving round the area for security purposes.
Some other residents were still holed in their houses with the mobile policemen warning them not to show their faces outside their houses for fear of any eventuality.
The spokesman of the Kwara state police command, Marcus Gideon, a Deputy Suprintendent said yesterday it had beefed up security on all entry points to the state following a recent statement allegedly made by leader of the OPC to intervene in the Ilorin crisis.
It also vowed to arrest anybody indicted in the investigation into the three days of violence in the state capital.
"Yes we have increased surveillance at all entry points due to the threat from Gani Adams. There is a threat by the OPC leader that they would invade the state. We want to check every vehicle because we don't know who is our friend or who is carrying arms," he said.
"The people have turned against us. They are against us because they misunderstood the mission of the police in the area. They should have enlightened their people about our mission at that place such that the people would not turn against our men," he said.
Security around the newly appointed kingmakers has also been beefed up to forestall any untoward incident as the police warned stakeholders in the dispute against making statements that could compound efforts by security agencies to restore peace in the affected area.
The police spokesman told THISDAY that the people had turned against the police in the course of the conflict because they completely misunderstood the command's mission in the area.
He denied that the police were responsible for the arson witnessed in the area pointing out that the command invited fire fighters to come and douse the inferno in the area.
The development came against the backdrop of speculations that the Emir had been invited by the Presidency.
Principal Secretary to the Emir, Alhaji Sani Ade Lawal however dismissed the speculation as he told newsmen that he had just come out of a conference with the royal father.
A news bulletin on the local Radio Kwara, had reported last weekend that the Emir had claimed that the deposed kingmakers were relieved of their positions for an alleged act of disloyalty, character assassination and rank insubordination against him.
The deposed traditional kingmakers included Alhaji AbdulKareem Laaro Buhari (Balogun Gambari), Alhaji Shuaib Adio Mahmud, (Balogun Alanamu) and Alhaji Saka Alesinloye, (Baba Isale). They are the surviving kingmakers out of the six that ratified the choice of Gambari as Emir in 1995. The other three are the Balogun Ajikobi, Alhaji Sulaiman Tukur, Balogun Fulani, Alhaji Oba Fulani and the initial Mogaji Are, Alhaji Ibrahim Zubair.
In a move aimed at forestalling any legal tussle over his action, Gambari immediately announced replacements for the deposed chiefs.
The replacements are: Alhaji Mahmood Durisinlorun Atiku, (Balogun Fulani), Alhaji Usman Baba Olobi, (Balogun Ajikobi), Alhaji Muhammad Aliyu Adebayo, Balogun Gambari and Alhaji Abubakar Akanbi Jos, (Balogun Alanamu). In the same vein, Gambari announced Alhaji Shuaib Aremu Zubair as the Mogaji Are in replacement of Alhaji Busari Alabi Alasa, who passed on a fortnight ago.