Residents of Ikeja area in Lagos State woke up to two separate rallies revolving around former Kogi State’s Governor Yahaya Bello (GYB).

The Pro-GYB protesters converged in the Ogba area of Ikeja early on Saturday morning to call on government that it must follow due process of law in its efforts to arrest Yahaya Bello.

Another group, Zero Corruption Agenda in collaboration with Kogi Peoples United Against Corruption, staged an anti-Yahaya Bello protest in Alausa Ikeja simultaneously.

The group which held a press conference just yesterday, also in Lagos, said it gave the EFCC a seven-day ultimatum to arrest Yahaya Bello or it would picket its offices nationwide.

When newsmen visited the two rallies, it was noticed that the pro-Yahaya Bello rally had over 1,000 protesters, while the anti-Yahaya Bello was scanty with just about 300 protesters.

Speaking on behalf of Citizens Action Against Lawlessness at the rally, Comrade Segun Abegunde, said government must not succumb to lawlessness when dealing with people accused of corruption.

Authorities, he said, must follow all due processes of law in the fight against corruption, in order to avoid throwing the country into anarchy.

Abegunde condemned people he described as anarchists, who are urging the EFCC to circumvent laws and all the necessary judicial procedures in carrying out its duty to arrest Yahaya Bello.

He said his group and other well-meaning Nigerians were not ready to keep quiet anymore when the rule of law is trampled upon.

Furthermore, he said democracy guaranteed a society of law and order where citizens enjoyed maximum protection of their rights by the government they freely elected into power.

He therefore labelled the actions of the Zero Corruption Agenda and its co-traveller as an attack on democracy.

He disclosed that according to Information at his disposal, the group was being sponsored by some politicians from Kogi State, calling on EFCC to ignore any order of any Court of competent jurisdiction and use military force to arrest former Governor Yahaya Bello even when his date to appear in court has already been fixed.

He warned that the call was an anarchist's agenda that wants to throw the country into chaos.

Abegunde revealed that many Nigerians who have suspected that the endless reckless attack on the former Governor, his family members and even innocent children by the EFCC in the most unprofessional ways, despite being protected by the law, have deep political undertones.

He said: “The desperation of these opposition figures and Yahaya Bello's political enemies hiding under the purported corruption charges, to call for his arrest when he has a court order protecting his fundamental human rights and was already in court with the EFCC, confirms evil plots against Yahaya Bello using the EFCC.

“These faceless composites of the so-called Kogites went to the extent of staging a protest against Yahaya Bello in London and made curious calls for his arrest without following rule of law. The videos exposed their ethnic leaning as they were speaking the language of the aggrieved politicians in Kogi State.”

Comrade Segun Abegunde said that the rallies, both home and abroad, calling to jettison due processes of law by EFCC in arresting Bello, court orders or no court orders, sponsored by the opposition and his political enemies within, are not only reckless but dangerous to the polity and are absolutely condemnable.

He urged the EFCC not to listen to the anarchists but follow the rule of law in its duty.

https://thenewsgiant.com/pro-yahaya-bello-rally-outshines-pro-efcc-protesters-in-lagos/