Benue State Police Command has debunked insinuations that the heavy security presence patrolling the streets of Makurdi and its environs is not to scare people from exercising their rights in the ongoing End Bad Governance protest.
The State Public Relations Officer Catherine Anene, in an interview with our correspondent at the police headquarters Makurdi on the news making the round that the heavily armed security deployed to monitor the protest is to stop citizens of the State from exercising their rights explained that the joint security presence is to ensure that hoodlums do not take advantage of the protest as it was the case during the end Sara protest.
Some of the people who spoke to our correspondent, including Ngunan Tsea and Tere’ver Mson Joseph Adzuanongo, accused the security agencies in Benue, especially the Police, of scaring armless protesters not to come out to exercise their rights.
Even though we are with Governor Alia, joining the protest is not out of place because that is the only way to register our grievances. Still, a situation where an unconfirmed number of joint security personnel have been parading the streets of Makurdi since the beginning of bad governance to date is to act to intimidation.”
They said if we have this kind of security in Benue and we are being killed every day by local bandits and herdsmen, only for them to come out in an uncountable number against people who are out to carry out a peaceful protest for their rights.”
However, the PPRO said, “Every Nigerian citizen has the right to freedom of expression, so security agents cannot stop people from coming out to protest, the presence of security in the nooks and crannies of the State is to make sure that while citizens are out for their peaceful protest, the security agents are there to protect lives and properties.”
She said what happened during the END SARS protest was a lesson for the police because we took it lightly, thinking people would go out with their peaceful protest, not knowing that hoodlum criminals would hijack it to cause mayhem, so we are not ready to see the scenario of END SARs to repeat itself” Anene added.
“One week ago, the Commissioner of Police, CP Hassan Yabanet, held a meeting with all the stakeholders, which includes all the traditional rulers, Youths, Students and Organisations and they assured us that the Hyacinth Alia-led government is on the right track and they don’t want to bring issues that will cause a problem in the State, even if we are aggrieved they know where to channel it.”
“And I want to let you know that up till date no group has written to us that they want to carryout protest in the State, and our presence is to prevent hoodlums from taking advantage of the hunger protest not in any way to scare anyone”
“I want to also make it clear that the reason for inviting the Stakeholders was not in any way to threaten them but to guide them on the right way to go with the protesters to prevent loss of lives and destruction of properties”
She informed that reports from all the 23 Local Government of the State indicate that the places where calmed and there was no protest.
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