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EXCLUSIVE: How Kogi Musician Allegedly Abducted, Tortured By Thugs Loyal To Governor Bello Over Anti-government Song Died Three Years After

He died after sustaining multiple injuries, including chest pain following the beating he received from the suspected thugs for singing an anti-government song.

A Kogi State-born popular musician, John Zachari Abisho, who was allegedly tortured by some political thugs loyal to the state governor, Yahaya Bello, three years ago has reportedly died.
He died after sustaining multiple injuries, including chest pain following the beating he received from the suspected thugs for singing an anti-government song.
 

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Abisho, who hailed from Imane in the Olamaboro Local Government Area of the state was said to have died on April 24th 2022 at a hospital after battling severe chest pain.
 
SaharaReporters gathered that he was attacked, beaten and abducted by some thugs believed to be working for the governor.
The singer was kidnapped two days before the 2019 governorship election in the state while on his way to Imane, his hometown.
 
From the moment he regained his freedom and the day he died, he was said to be going in and out of hospitals, receiving treatment for chest and body pains.
 
A source told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that Abisho died of harrowing pains after he was physically assaulted and beaten to a stupor for mocking those behind his previous attack in one of his songs.
It was learnt that his motorcycle was stolen during the initial attack.
He was said to have boasted in the song that he had acquired a new motorcycle and that God had put his enemies to shame.
 
It was learnt that some loyalists to the governor not comfortable with the song accused the singer of denting the governor’s image in his song.
 
They were said to have been angered by the perceived allegiance of the musician to the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, which they considered a threat to the popularity of the governor.
 
The source said, "Two days before the governorship election, he (Abisho) was going to (Imane), his hometown under Olamaboro Local Government Area but while on his way, a tinted Toyota Sienna blocked him and abducted him. He was blindfolded and taken to a forest where he was tortured.
 
"On that day, those who witnessed the incident raised the alarm but they did not know the people. We started calling his mobile phone but it did not connect.
 
"But a week later, he called me and narrated what happened to him. He was able to find his way out of the forest but he could not disclose his location to me because he did not know to trust again.
"Since that time until his death, he was not himself. He had been moved from one hospital to the other until it became worse and he died," the source said.
 
It was learnt that the musician refused to return to his house for fear of being attacked again as he could no longer trust anybody.
The situation compelled his friend to reach out to a pastor who later harboured him in his house from where he was taken to hospital for treatment.
 
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters gathered that a candlelight procession organised by his friends and scheduled for May 3, 2022, at Ankpa where he was living, was cancelled following a threat by the police to arrest the organisers.
 
“We went to Ankpa Divisional Police Station to seek permission for the candlelight procession but they told us that if they see anybody at the event, they will arrest us,” the source added.
 
Efforts to get the spokesperson for the state police command to react were unsuccessful as calls to his mobile phone were not answered. He also did not also respond to text messages sent to him.