Wike Indicts Senator for Feeding Protesters
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has implicated an unnamed serving Senator as a collaborator in the nationwide protest that rocked the country on Thursday.
The minister, while briefing reporters Thursday night after an FCT Security Council meeting summoned to review the protest in the FCT, said the senator invited some security agencies to lead some of them to go and provide food for the protesters.
Wike said the action of the minister amounted to “sponsorship”, adding at the appropriate time security agencies will invite the senator to explain her role in the protest.
“Now we also have intelligence that a senator had to invite some security agencies to lead some of them to go and provide food for the protesters. That is sponsorship. A senator providing food for protesters.
“At the appropriate time security agencies will invite the senator and find out how you will be sponsoring this kind of thing against the government of the day,” Wike said.
While reiterating that the conveners of the protest had the constitutional rights to protest, he urged them to obey the court orders restricting them to Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, saying government would not allow the protesters to convene at Eagle Square for their protest.
He stressed FCT Administration would continue to brief the press as it monitors the protest by people who said they were protesting against bad governance and hunger in the country.
“We believe that this is a democratic government and so we must act according to the rule of law. We also believe that this protesting it is their entitlement so that government can address the issues raised. Obeying the rule of law is obeying court orders. We are doing quite a lot to change the lives of the people.
“You are aware of the court order yesterday. The court did not stop protests, it only restricted them to the National Stadium.
” We had come out to say clearly that one of the reasons we appealed against the protest was that we believe some miscreants will hijack the process and cause destruction of property within the FCT. See what happened in some of the states today. Now, look at the loss fo lives. If such a thing happens in the FCT, what do you think people would say? Here we have the international community carrying out their businesses.
“You saw what happened today where some people tried to move into the Eagle Square. Miscreants may not have succeeded in what they wanted to do but we have intelligence that they are coming out tomorrow to destroy property that will lead to loss of lives. The security agencies will not allow that. Every protester, please, go to the MKO Abiola stadium and do your protest. That is what the court said,” Wike said.
