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| Governor Nyesom Wike |
Nigeria's secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS) has accused Governor Nyesom Wike of south-south State of Rivers of engaging in a sinister plot to mobilise hoodlums to breach the peace and disrupt the machinery of governance via violent protests in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
In a statement released today and signed by Tony Opuiyo, the SSS alleged that Mr. Wike had recruited one Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, a personal aide to Senate President Bukola Saraki, to mobilize hoodlums to execute the violent protests which, according to the DSS, are meant to start today and continue for several more days.
The DSS stated, “The aim of the plot is to cause mayhem, a complete breakdown of law and order and cast the security agencies and the Federal Government in a bad light. It is also intended to divert public and international attention from the ongoing police investigation into the unwholesome role played by the Governor and some of his cronies in the violence that trailed the re-run election in Rivers State which resulted in the gruesome murder of civilians including the beheading of DSP Mohammed Alkali and some of his colleagues as well as the brutalization of INEC staff who failed to do the bidding of the Governor.”
The DSS said Governor Wike wanted to his hired protesters “to besiege the National Human Rights Commission, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Assembly, the Nigerian Army and Police Headquarters as well as British High Commission, US Embassy and the UN Secretariat, Abuja.” The statement added that the protests were designed to “raise a false alarm that Rivers State was under siege of security agencies during the elections.” It continued: “While the obvious aim is to draw public sympathy and international attention to spurious allegations of involvement of Federal agencies in violence during the last elections in Rivers State, the actual objective is really to trigger a round of violent action against the government and create the opportunity for idlers to join the deceitful protest. Part of the orchestration is to provoke the security agencies and prompt them to take action against the protesters that could result in bloodletting.”
The agency alleged that Senator Saraki’s aide had recruited some unemployed youths from the outskirts of Abuja to carry out the violent protests. “All this was to be done for a fee and resources to be provided from the treasury of the Rivers State Government,” said the DSS. It added: “It is also worrisome that Ikenga would engage in this nefarious plot when, after his last arrest earlier this year by the Service, he had pledged to be law abiding and not to cause a breach of the peace.”
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| Ikenga Ugochinyere: Wanted by the DSS |
The DSS stated that Mr. Ugochinyere was now on the run, but disclosed that the security agency had arrested three collaborators, Emeka Idibia, Ugo Apuamagha and Ejike Nwachukwu. “These men were picked up at the mobilization venue trying to perfect the logistics for this unholy enterprise. The young men were hired by Ikenga to take custody of items and materials for the planned violent protest. The recovered items include banners, placards, and posters with denigrating, inciting and hate inscriptions meant to impinge the authority of the Federal Government and further subvert the entire machinery of governance in the country,” said the SSS.
The DSS further stated that, in order to lend a veneer of credibility to their plot, Mr. Ugochinyere and his collaborators had enlisted such groups as Lawyers in Defense of Democracy (LDD) and Citizens for Good Governance (CGG) “as cover to supposedly make them look like serious-minded civil rights groups and thus bring them into collision course with security agencies.”
According to the security agency’s spokesman, investigations pointed to Mr. Ikenga Ugochinyere as the field organizer and coordinator of the planned protests while Governor Wike was “his sole financial sponsor.” The agency stated, “The DSS is disturbed that the Governor who is the Chief Security Officer of the State will stoop so low to hire thugs and hoodlums to attack the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and create an atmosphere of chaos and disorder at this yuletide season.”
The DSS declared that it and other security agencies would not be cowed or “allow any person or group of persons no matter how highly placed to subvert Nigeria’s statutory institutions meant to protect critical installations and law-abiding citizens.”
It vowed the determination of all security agencies to conduct their constitutionally mandated duties and to conclude investigations into the Rivers State electoral violence.
The DSS restated its commitment to protect lives and property in Nigeria’s capital and throughout the country. It implored youths being lured by “desperate politicians” to resist the temptation of being used “to undermine the government or engage in acts capable of causing a breakdown of law and order.” It promised that all who threaten the peace and stability of Nigeria would be prosecuted, and urged all Abuja residents to go about their normal businesses.
Originally published by Saharareporters
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