Senator Shehu Sani
Senator Sani tackles ex-President Jonathan’s aide, Omokri over claims linking South Easterners with drug-related crimes in India
Former Senator representing Kaduna Central at the National Assembly during its 7th session, Shehu Sani has taken a swipe at Mr Reno Omokri, a one-time media aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, over his claims linking South Easterners with drug trafficking.
Mr Omokri, a Delta State-born Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain who has turned into a self-acclaimed antagonist of supporters of Mr. Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) at the February 25 elections, popularly known as Obidients, Thursday, took to his Twitter handle to link Nigerians of Igbo extraction with drug and fraud related offences committed outside the shores of the country, particularly in India, adding that they (Igbo) topped the list in this crimes.
Writing via his Twitter handle (@renoomokri), Thursday, Omokri attempted linking Igbo indigenes to the high level of fraud and drug related crimes committed in the Asian country, by calling for independent verification of his claims, as he warned that ‘India may ban Nigeria, like UAE, if our government does not intervene.’
“This year, over 100 Nigerians have been arrested in India for whether drug or fraud. All of them come from one geopolitical zone. Don’t take my word. Conduct your own independent search. India may ban Nigeria, like UAE, if our government does not intervene,” Omokri posted.
However, in a sharp retort, former senator Shehu Sani, responding in a separate post minutes after Omokri’s claims, via his Twitter countered by advising the former Jonathan’s aide that drug trafficking was a problem that involved all Nigerians , adding that ‘it’s all zones.’
However, indirectly responding Omokri’s claims, Shehu Sani, suggested the ex-President’s spokesperson misinterpreted the statistics with his earlier claims using India as reference, adding that it all depends on the part of the world where the incidents occur.
Shehu stated that while drug trafficking cases reported in Asia, Europe and Latin America were likely to have South Easterners as leading in the statistics, however, the same offences committed in the United States should see South Westerners leading the charts.
Shehu writing via Twitter handle (@ShehuSani), further added that drug related offences committee by Nigerians in Saudi Arabia will see Northerners and South Westerners as leading, while those committee in Cameroun should see South Southerners as prime suspects, as he concluded that local distribution of illicit drugs involved ‘all zones.’
“Drugs; if it happened in Asia & Latin America or Europe, the culprits are likely from South East Zone,. If it’s America, it’s South West zone. If it’s Saudi Arabia, it’s Northern and South West. If it’s Cameroun, it’s South South Zone. Local supplies, it’s all zones,” Shehi Sani wrote.
While, Sani’s position may easily be backed by facts of high-profile drug trafficking and fraud related cases facing some notable personalities in the country, Omokri did not provide the state the states of origin of suspects alleged to have committed the said crimes in India, which is also a preferred destination for South Southerners.
