Hours after concluding this year’s Ramadan fast, one of the pillars of Islam, scheming for 2023 politicking was taken to a demeaning, inhuman and above all un-Islamic height when a dismissed army officer, Major Rabiu Garba Yandoto, decided to dance, out of severe frustration, on the graves of his deceased colleagues in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yandoto- Daji ward of Tsafe LGA in Zamfara State.
The trio of Alhaji Yusuf AG Yandoto, Mallam Bala Yakubu and Mallam Abdullahi Halliru, all chieftains of the APC in Yandoton Daji ward lost their lives in the night of February 22nd 2019 in a fatal accident, while returning from a party meeting in Tsafe.
Immediately after the accident, Major Yandoto (dismissed) working with some elements in the APC who saw Sen Kabiru Garba Marafa as the stumbling block to APC success in the elections changed the narrative of the accident and insinuated that the victims were killed.
Confronted with the cooked story surrounding the death of the stalwarts, the then governor of the state, Hon AbdulAziz Yari sought the assistance of federal government to investigate the matter.
The office of the Inspector General of Police and that of the Chief of of Army Staff were promptly directed to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
Following the orders, the then Zamfara State police commissioner, the commanding officer of the 1 base ammunition depot and the Civil Defense commandant were personally in Yandoton-Daji to investigate the matter.
After a through investigation including examination of the corpses together with medical experts, the security chiefs unanimously concluded that all the deceased died of fatal accident when their car, a Volkswagen golf rammed into a stationary truck in Yandoton-Daji town.
For proper documentation, the Army CO and Police commissioner, all wrote independent reports to their headquarters. The records are there for anyone that cares to find out.
But, while announcing his defection from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the Zamfara State Government House last week, the dismissed army Major, Rabiu Garba Yandoto, blamed Senator Marafa for the deaths of the deceased, alleging that former Governor Yari and Sen Marafa were responsible for the rising insecurity in the state. What an ungodly act, hours after Ramadan fast !
Yandoto’s allegation cum diatribe was conveyed through a statement by Yusuf Idris Gusau, a media aide to Governor Bello Matawalle, who is battling with 2023 high fever.
Politics and party membership, as we all know are games of choice and interest but playing politics with the souls of the departed ones is not only morally wrong but against the tenets of our faith.
The disgraced army Major was apparently on a mission to please his new master and advance his hatred for Senator Marafa who he wrongly accused of not helping him out when the military authorities went after him sequel to a petition by his subordinate, a soldier, Rabiu Usman 05NA/ 3531L/CPL.
Usman, who was Yandoto’s driver, had accused him of impregnating his wife while he was on a peace keeping mission abroad.
The allegation was investigated via a court marshal that found the then Lt Col RG Yandoto guilty of seven count charges. The court marshal recommended his dismissal, de-ranking from Lt Col to Major and a prison term of five years. The Military highest command met and confirmed the recommendations of the court on the 8th April 2015 vied ref AHQ MS/G1/300/263
I am not a politician, I am not, therefore, interested in the political angle of this problem, but as an indigene of Zamfara, a constituent of Senator Marafa (when he was in the Senate), a beneficiary of his good representation and one who knows almost everything about the issue in question, I have a moral duty to come out and make this clarifications so as to set the record straight for posterity’s sake.
I attach a copy of the charges and punishments recommended and confirmed by the military authorities for ease of reference. I also challenge anybody with contrary views to come up with proof.
Ibrahim wrote from Gusau, the Zamfara State Capital.
