Rivers Crisis: Group wants Police to Arrest and Prosecute Wike

Posted by African Examiner News Monday, August 12th, 2013

Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Education

RIVERS Peoples’ Forum (RPF), an ad hoc group, has charged the
Nigerian chief of police, Mohammed Abubakar, to urgently arrest
and prosecute Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike, for
allegedly fueling disturbances in Rivers State, or risk a wild-cat
mass protest that could ground the country’s oil and gas capital.

According to them, Wike, at a Grassroot Democratic Initiative
(GDI) event in Port Harcourt had said, “for those who think that
they can destroy Obio-Akpor(Local Government Council), we will
make life uncomfortable for them. We will make sure they will not
sleep again. When they are sleeping, they will not sleep with their
two eyes closed. One eye will be open because they know there is
danger.”

They claimed that the minister was referring to the suspended
Chairman and Councilors of Obio-Akpor Local Government who
were hurriedly removed from office by the state House of
Assembly for alleged acts of corruption.

President of the group, Charles Bekwele, claimed in an online
statement to AkanimoReports that the alleged comments of the
minister was a direct threat to the good people of Rivers, since
according to him, the state lrgislature acted on behalf of the
electorate.

“It is a shame, an outrage that the police instead of arresting and
prosecuting Wike is allowing him to arrogantly and pompously
roam the streets, making more provocative and hateful comments
against the State and its people”, the group said in a statement,
Monday.

“And this is the same police that have declared wanted and
arrested supporters of Governor Amaechi for extremely flimsy
reasons. So why are they not arresting a man who openly
threatened the people, the peace and security of the State? Is
Nyesom Wike above the law?”

“Again, we are calling on the Inspector-General of Police to arrest
and prosecute Nyesom Wike now for threatening the lives of
Rivers people, for threatening the peace and security of Rivers.
As a matter of fact, his comments are dangerous to our
democracy, His excesses must be brought to a halt. Rivers people
have had enough of his shenanigans. And the time to act is now”

This is a man who has practically abandoned his job at the
ministry of education for politics and political campaigns. Every
week, Wike is in Rivers State campaigning, he claims to be
campaigning for Mr. President but that’s a big fat lie. Except he’s
saying that Mr. President has commence campaigns for 2015. He’
s campaigning for his own governorship, even when he knows
there’s no vacancy, at least for now.”

The group said if the police high command fails to play ball, ”we
are ready to march on the streets of Port Harcourt. This will be the
mother of all protests as we shall mobilize Rivers people from all
over to come out and tell the police in very lucid terms that they
will not allow Nyesom Wike to threaten their lives, their peace and
security while the police whose duty it is to protect us, do nothing
to protect the people. The time to arrest and prosecute Wike is
now