Rivers residents defy govt’s threat,  protest against police brutality

Blessing Iruoma, Port Harcourt

Against the warning by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State calling for a stop to the planned protest by citizens of the country in the state against police brutality and justice for all extrajudicial killings, thousands of protesters, on Tuesday, paralysed business activities for several hours, as they caused gridlock on major roads, in Port Harcourt.

The protesters blocked the State Government House entrance gate for several hours and mounted pressure on Governor Wike to come out and address them before they could leave.

It would be recalled that Governor Wike had, in a statement issued by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, on Monday said the state government took the decision because the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had already scrapped SARS.

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He advised parents and guardians  to ensure that their children or wards did not violate order.

The governor also directed law enforcement agencies to ensure that the ban was enforced and violators  brought to book.

He declared, “Therefore, all proposed protests under #EndSARS campaign are hereby prohibited. There is no need for any form of protest against a Unit of the Police Force that no longer exists.”

Against the warning, thousands of youths went ahead to stage the protest peacefully.

While the state Police Command had already beefed up security by deploying its personnel to some strategic areas in the state capital, to ensure compliance, the #EndSARS campaigners took off their demonstration from the Port Harcourt Pleasure Park, Aba Road, and terminated at the Government House, with heavy security mounted as barricade.

The protesters in their black attires, chanted ‘End police brutality’, ‘iPhone  no  bi gun’, and ‘Send SARS to Sambisa’ songs, with several of them carrying placards with different inscriptions.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards read, ‘Why do I get beaten for being masculine and perceived gay’, ‘My brother, Solomon Yellowe, was killed by SARS after an ATM withdrawal’, ‘End Police brutality’ and ‘Reform NPF’.

After hours waiting at the Government House, Governor Wike appeared in his entourage to address the aggrieved protesters.

The governor who mounted a vehicle to address the crowd, noted that no governor in the state has challenged SARS activities the way he did.

He stressed that so many Rivers people were innocently killed by operatives of SARS, calling for a total reform of Police Force in the country.

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“The life of every Rivers man and woman means a lot to me.  Rivers State is one of the states in this country that have suffered brutality and intimidation.

“No government in this country has challenge SARS the way we did.  When there was so much kidnapping in this state,  I raised alarm to the federal government but they said it was political and today all the states are suffering same.

“I was the only Governor that protested against SARS.  They have killed our people a lot. Rivers State is more important to me. Therefore every Nigerian should support the total dissolution of Police, we need total reform in the police force,” Governor Wike added.