Local government chairman, 10 others sent to prison custody for stoning governor

CHAIRMAN, Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Mr. Yusuf Aliyu Turaki, alongside 10 others, has been arrested, charged to court and remanded in prison for allegedly stoning the state governor, Umaru Tanko al-Makura, during the governor’s visit to the area.
Investigations by the Tribune Online revealed that the incident, which happened during the governor’s visit to inspect the ongoing construction of a hospital and the level of damage caused by a downpour in the area, left two of his aides wounded.
It was gathered that the governor, who came to the local government with a helicopter, ran into angry youths, who were said to have been allegedly asked by the chairman to descend on the governor and his entourage whenever his helicopter arrived.
A source told Tribune Online that the council boss was arrested after one of the suspects arrested earlier told security agencies that it was the chairman that mobilised them for the attack.
It could not be ascertained why the chairman decided to launch the attack as of time of filing this report, but sources told Tribune Online that his action was not unconnected with the ongoing biometric exercise of the state government to fish out ghost workers and non payment of workers’ salaries in the last couple of months.
When contacted on phone in Lafia, the state capital, on Thursday, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ismaila Numan, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), confirmed the arrest of 11 persons from the area, but declined comment on whether the chairman was arrested, adding that all the suspects had been charged to court