Alleged beating, rape of beauty queen: Gov. Bello orders probe

From Ahmad Ibrahim Lokoja

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has ordered accelerated investigation into the alleged battering of a beauty queen in the state, Elizabeth Oyeniyi, by the Commissioner for Water Resources, Abdumumini Danga.
The commissioner was said to have allegedly battered the beauty queen last week in Lokoja for posting a message, urging the commissioner to lend a helping hand to a sister who happens to be a friend to the beauty queen.
The message was said to have angered the commissioner who ordered for her arrest and taken to Commissioners Quarters in Lokoja where she was allegedly battered and raped till the next day .
In a statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo the Governor expressed shock on hearing the news and subsequently ordered a full scale investigation into the matter.
“The Governor hereby assures both accuser and accused, as well as the general public, that the whole truth will be uncovered and justice served as appropriate,” Fanwo stated.
The statement further pointed out that, “ the governor who is an avowed advocate of the fundamental rights of Nigerian citizens, and especially within the boundaries of our dear state is shocked by these accusations.”
It therefore reaffirms the unalloyed commitment of the present administration in the state, to the protection of everyone from all forms of oppression, and will not tolerate violence against women or children under any form or guise, assuring that if these allegations are proven, everyone found culpable will be brought to justice.
The commissioner further enjoined the people of the state, to continue to observe the protocols of prevention and safety relating to the CoviD-19 outbreak even as he reiterated government’s commitment to keeping the state free of the disease.