By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Middle Belt Forum (MBF) Kaduna State chapter has condemns in strong terms, the murder of Raymond Timothy Adia 35 years old Councillorship candidate of the PDP in Pari ward, Kauru LGA of Southern part of Kaduna State.
A release on Monday signed by Luka Binniyat led forum chairman stated that Timothy Adia was killed ahead of Kaduna State LGA election coming up on the 19th October, 2024.
“According to reports reaching us, Adia was murdered alongside his brother, James, 32, on their way back home after a political event in Kisachi village on Sunday 29th September, 2024 while riding on a motorcycle.
“Adia, who was a graduate of Mass Communication, was a trader in fertiliser and allied agro-based farming inputs, had garnered popularity among locals for his generosity of spirit and community service, we were informed by several sources.
“According to reports reaching us, his killers did not take any of the huge sums of money found on him and his kid brother, James. Neither was the new motorcycle taken away, as bandits and robbers are wont to do.
“This, therefore, likely points to a politically motivated murder. If this stands so, then it calls for deep concern, since Southern Kaduna, which is a core part of the Middle Belt, may be sliding into a dangerous political trend that is all strange to our nature, civilisation and beliefs.
“It could be recalled that in November, 2022, gunmen assassinated Mrs Victoria Chintex, the Women Leader of the Labour Party of Kaura LGA in Southern Kaduna at her home in Manchok town in a crime believed to be related to her rising political profile and that of her party in Kaura LGA.
“The MBF, Kaduna State chapter is urgently calling on law enforcement agencies to swing into action, fish out the murderers and bring them to justice.
“If politics is a call to service, sacrifice and risk taking for community, we see no reason why anyone would kill for that role.
Allowing this crime to fade away without consequences, will only encourage more of such evil in the future.
“We already have terrorism and sundry crimes we are yet to tackle, Southern Kaduna cannot add a new twist to insecurity in the land.
Unfortunately, the way elected and appointed political office holders flaunt their questionable new found wealth and suppress their constituents, the lure of such positions seems to be getting desperate in Southern Kaduna.
“We are therefore appealing to all our members who are desirous in contesting for political offices to shun violence of any kind and play politics in the relative tolerant and civilised ways that politics has always been played in our areas in Kaduna State.
“We condole, once more the PDP family, the pregnant wife the deceased candidate and extended family; Pari ward and Kauru LGA.
“Kindly note that MBF Kaduna state Chapter is made up of all residents of Kaduna state from all parts of the defunct Northern region who were not part of the Sokoto caliphate and Kanem Borno Empire in pre-independence Nigeria.
“That also includes the 12 LGAs of Southern Kaduna, that of
Southern Kebbi, Southern Borno
South Bauchi, Niger State
Gombe State, Adamawa State
Taraba State, Benue State, Kogi State, Kwara State, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Nasarawa state
Plateau states respectively.
“All indigenes of the aforementioned areas resident in Kaduna state fall under the MBF as its pan socio-cultural body”, it stated.
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