Kogi Assembly Fire: ‘Dangote Sent Thugs To Burn Evidence Over Ownership Of Cement Plant’ – State Gov’t

The Kogi State Government has accused the multinational industrial conglomerate, Dangote Group, of having a hand in the fire that razed parts of the state House of Assembly complex on Monday.

The state government alleged that thugs sent by the multinational company owned by Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote, burnt parts of the complex “in an attempt to possibly destroy evidence” relating to the ownership of Obajana cement plant in the state.

The past one week has seen the Kogi Government and Dangote Group claim ownership of the cement plant after the state’s House of Assembly ordered shutdown of the factory.

The complex was shut over allegations that there was no valid acquisition of the plant that was previously owned by the state by Dangote, a claim the company outrightly denied.

The company was also accused of non-payment of taxes and revenues due to the state government despite allegedly generating over N5.7 trillion since it took over the plant “without any form of consideration”.

The Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement sent to THE WHISTLER on Monday, also claimed that thugs suspected to have been sponsored by the company attempted to set his house on fire.

Fanwo accused Aliko Dangote of “playing dirty and dangerous” over the Obajana plant, saying, “The resolve of the State Government to defend the people’s rights cannot be broken.

“The State House of Assembly was set on fire this morning. Remember we exposed plans to attack the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly with fake soldiers yesterday.

“Having discovered that we exposed their satanic plans against the Speaker, they changed tactics to go and burn down the Kogi State House of Assembly. This is an attack on our institution and our people.

“Burning down our Assembly Complex will only further fuel our resolve to right the wrongs of the past. We will take back what legally belongs to us.”