Wow! Governor Wike Makes U-Turn Joins #EndSARS Protesters After 3Hrs.
Wow! Governor Wike Makes U-Turn Joins #EndSARS Protesters After 3Hrs.
By Rowlandgate.
Nyesome Wike, the governor of Rivers state who had earlier banned #EndSAR protest in the state has made a u-turn and joined the protesters in calling for an end to police brutality.
After over three hours of wait by # EndSARS protesters who converged at the Government House , Port Harcourt , for Governor Nyesom Wike to address them , the latter later joined the protesters and called for the total reform of the Nigeria Police Force.
The governor, who had banned # EndSARS protests in the state last night, made a U -turn on Tuesday.
Wike while addressing the protesters said though he was not in support of the Tuesday protest , he noted that no governor in the country had protested against the security outfit as he has done .
He said, “ I never supported us to be here. I took an oath to protect the lives and property of people of the state. The blood of Rivers of people matters to me .
“ Rivers State has suffered in the hands of SARS . When we raised the alarm of SARS activities , they did not give attention but it has now happened in other places.
Wike in a statement issued on Monday night by Paulinus Nsirim, commissioner for information and communications, warned Rivers residents against embarking on #EndSARS protests. According to the governor, there was no need for further protests since the SARS unit has been scrapped by the IGP.
However, youths in the state ignored his directive and are currently protesting in Port-Harcourt, the state capital.
The governor, however, decided to address the youths telling them he had been calling for an end to special anti-robbery squad (SARS) who he accused of robbery and kidnapping in Rivers state.
No governor in this country can say they have challenged SARS the way we have done . When there was so much kidnapping in this state, I raised an alarm to the federal government .
“ I am the only governor that has come out to start end SARS protest . No other state . We have lost so many people in this state to SARS . No state supported us. SARS has killed our people a lot ,” he stated .