The Nigeria Police Force has placed a temporary ban on street protest to prevent any hijack by unscrupulous individuals and groups determined to breach the peace.
The Police Commissioner, Cross River State Command in south-south Nigeria, Sikiru Akande gave the charge when 109 persons were paraded before newsmen for their alleged involvement in criminal activities.
Akande, who reasoned that holding street protest at a time when Nigeria was facing dire security challenges would hinder socio-economic activities and peaceful coexistence, urged people seeking redress to explore alternative avenues.
The Police Commissioner was reacting to a planned street protest by students of the University of Cross River State, UNICROSS, over the death of someone, who was not part of the institution.
He said, “I want to appeal to us as Nigerians concerning protest. Please, if you have an issues, protest is not the solution. Unfortunately for us, any protest that spills into the streets now, Al Qaeda, ESN (Eastern Security Network), BH (Boko Haram), all of them have infiltrated every part of the country and the moment they are given the slightest opportunity, they take advantage of it and unleash mayhem.”
“Please until further notice, we do not want any street protest in any part of Cross River State. So, until we are sure that we have cleaned the streets of elements capable of hijacking street protests for their own selfish interest, we will no longer permit any street protest.
“Just like what happened at CRUTECH (now UNICROSS) this morning, the students were protesting and the person they were protesting for was not even a student of the school. He was a community boy attacked by some cultists and some of the cultists have been arrested.
“Still some students gather themselves under the guise of protesting the death of a student and were heading towards the administrative building of the institution to burn it down. If some people do not want to go to school, they should take advantage of Governor Ayade’s numerous agricultural programmes and go into farming rather than disturb the peace,” stated Akande.
He warned, “I am using this as a note of warning, any attempt by any group or person under any guise to disturb the relative peace that we have in Cross River State would be matched with all forces required. We have restored calm and urged the Vice Chancellor to address the students. But, if they are still riotously gathered, the authority would shutdown the school and we will move to maintain the peace.”
Community support
The Police Commissioner, who explained that the command was not leaving anything to chance, said the 109 suspects were apprehended across seven local government areas within the southern district of Cross River with the support of some concerned Nigerians.
He noted that policemen in the central and northern districts of the state also apprehended 58 and about 68 respectively.
“We want to restore peace, which is the mandate of the current police administration and we are to deploy all tactics to ensure that peace is restored in this region. As you bear me witness, Cross River State has been the most peaceful within this region and we want to keep at it. We do not want to rest on our oars, which is the reason we do all within our might to get criminal elements,” he said.
The Police Commissioner urged the people, especially those living in the communities and densely populated areas within the metropolis to effectively collaborate with the police command to reduce criminal activities to the barest minimum.
He commended the officers and men of the command for working as a team and in tandem with the vision of the Inspector General of Police.
Nnenna.O
