Two men are currently telling security operatives how they came about the idea and plotted the strategy to defraud Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state, western Nigeria.
Benedict Ola Idega and Abdulsalami H. Leader claimed to be President Muhammadu Buhari’s private security aides and attempted to take advantage of a current panel of inquiry that involves the governor.
They were arrested at the Afao-Ekiti country home of Fayose for presenting themselves as staff of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), with influence over the report of the military panel set up to investigate alleged involvement in partisan politics by some soldiers and officers during the 2014/2015 gubernatorial election conducted in some states such as Ekiti, Osun, Rivers and Akwa-Ibom.
The military is currently looking into the alleged involvement of some of its men in alleged malpractices that happened in the election that brought in Fayose for a second time as governor of Ekiti state, a situation Fayose and his supporters believe is a ploy by the government in power to persecute him.
The arrested suspects claimed that they already have the preliminary report of the military panel and that with the cooperation of the governor, they could manipulate the final report if necessary.
They also said the army panel report was targeted at some top army officers that the Federal Government wanted to punish.
Fayose, who was suspicious of the men’s real intentions, informed the state Commissioner of Police and Director of the State Security Service, with the Police Commissioner already putting men of the state Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) on standby.
The two men, while in a meeting with the governor presented what they called photocopy of a page-three preliminary report to show that they meant business.
The purported copy of the page three bore the logo of the Nigerian Army.
After turning the copy of the page three of the purported preliminary report, the governor gave the impression that he was satisfied with all that they said and asked them to wait at his waiting room for him to show appreciation.
He then called in the Commissioner of Police and SSS Director, who in turn asked their men to move in and arrest the two men.
The identity card found on Abdulsalami Leader H bore ‘GMB SECURITY’ and it was stated at the back that he (Abdulsalami) is the security to Gen. Mohammadu Buhari with Number 34, Lobitto Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja as issuer’s address and 088133636478 and 08057010255 as telephone numbers.
Benedict Ola Idega was with an identity card bearing Federal Capital Development Authority.
The two men, who lodged at a popular hotel along Bank Road, Ado Ekiti are now being detained at the Police Headquarters, Ado Ekiti alongside another suspected accomplice, who was found in their hotel room when policemen visited the hotel for a search.
Special Assistant to the governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, who confirmed the incident said even though it has been established that they were impersonators, the real intention of the men were yet to be ascertained.
“We don’t want to pre-empt the security agents that are already investigating the incident,” Lere said.
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose
“But it is certain that they have ulterior motives. We are also not ruling out the possibility of an attempt to set-up the governor to obtain money from him under false pretence or even harm him.
“Therefore, we expect that the security agencies will do their job thoroughly by ascertaining their real motives and their other accomplices.
“However, we must say that anyone thinking that report of any military panel can be used to upturn an electoral victory already upheld by the Supreme Court, which is the final destination for dispute on governorship election must be thinking of committing judicial coup d’état, which by all standard is treason.”
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