The rise and fall of Zekeri Yau is a story that every young person in Kogi East must listen to, especially as we approach the 2027 elections. Just like the late Don Spaco of Benue State, Zekeri Yau remains the most feared and most celebrated political thug in the history of Kogi East.
Zekeri Yau reigned between 2013 and 2016 and he was not just an ordinary political thug. To some, particularly members of the opposition APC then, he was a hero. This was because he came at a time when PDP thugs in Kogi East were not only intimidating opposition members but were killing and harassing them without restraint. The opposition lived in fear. But the arrival of Zekeri Yau did not only put a stop to the reign of PDP thugs, he went on to eliminate numerous of their most notorious members. That single act made him a god to the opposition.
But to the other side, especially the PDP and many innocent families, Yau was not a hero. He was a devil who killed without looking back, a man whose name alone sent fear into homes.
For three years, security agencies found it almost impossible to arrest Zekeri Yau and his boys. The secret was his mode of operation. Like Spaco, Zekeri was extremely generous. He gave without looking back. Money, food, motorcycles, he gave to the poor and the jobless youths. Because of this generosity, he had numerous supporters across Kogi East, from Odu Ochele to Anyigba, Egume, Ankpa and Idah, who provided him with necessary assistance, especially information about security movements. He bought loyalty with generosity and that loyalty protected him from the law.
But, there is an iron law of political thuggery that every thug must learn. No thug is bigger than his master. The same government that uses you will one day turn against you.
The end of Yau came when he fell out with the government of Yahaya Bello. The same APC he thought he was serving turned its full weight against him. The government pulled down all his houses in Odu Ochele in Dekina Local Government Area and started searching for him everywhere. Finally, on October 24th, 2016, the once untouchable Zekeri Yau was arrested by the Abba Kyari led Anti Robbery Squad around Okene road.
Since that day until this moment, nobody can give a clear account of the whereabouts of Yau again. Some say he is still in prison, others say he died a long time ago. No more houses, no more convoys, no more boys shouting his name. Only silence.
This is the lesson for our people as 2027 gets closer. Life of thuggery is vanity upon vanity. The politician you are ready to kill for today will build mansions for his own children abroad while your own house in the village will be demolished. He will call you his boy when he needs you and he will call the police on you when you become a problem. Let us reject thuggery. Let our PVC be our power, not guns and cutlasses. No political position is worth the blood of your brother.
Umar Isah (Radical) Writes
The Rise and Fall of Zekeri Yau: When the Gun That Protects You Becomes the Gun That Kills You
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