September 22, 2024

 

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has revealed that some individuals suspected of sponsoring the rioters who hijacked the recent protests against bad governance and hunger fled the country on the eve of the protest. These protests, which were initially intended to be peaceful, quickly escalated into unrest, prompting the police to take action.

Egbetokun disclosed that the police had intelligence suggesting that certain elements aimed to use the protests to destabilize the country. “Before the protest, we had intelligence that some agents of destabilization were bent on using the protest to destabilize the country. Some of them were already out of the country. Some of them moved out that very day the protest kicked off,” he stated.

The IGP also addressed concerns raised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) regarding a police raid on a shop near Labour House. He clarified that the police were tracking a prime suspect and did not raid Labour House itself. “There was no need for the noise about the alleged raid on Labour House because we did not raid Labour House. We tracked a prime suspect we were looking for and recovered sensitive documents that implicated our suspect. He was using the shop or place of business as a front,” Egbetokun explained.

He further defended the police’s stance against the protests, which were initially tagged “10 days of rage,” arguing that such a label indicated the protests were unlikely to remain peaceful. “When you tagged the protest 10 days of rage, you know it is not going to be peaceful, and you all saw it for yourself,” he added.

The IGP criticized those who incite violence or call for the expulsion of ethnic groups during protests, urging Nigerians to report such incidents to the nearest police or security authorities. He emphasized the importance of unity and peaceful coexistence among all ethnic groups in the country.

The Nigerian Police Youth Summit, where the IGP made these remarks, aimed to engage Nigerian youths in a sincere discussion about the economic, security, and other challenges facing the nation. The keynote speaker, Professor Lanrewaju Fagboun, former Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University, highlighted economic challenges and a lack of trust between security agencies and the youth as key issues driving discontent.

Professor Fagboun urged leaders to avoid flaunting wealth in the face of widespread poverty and unemployment, stressing that the dynamics of traditional African society have changed. He also called for a stronger justice system, noting that while President Tinubu has made efforts to reposition the judiciary, the judiciary itself must undergo introspection to cleanse its ranks.

The IGP’s revelations and the discussions at the summit underscore the complexities of maintaining order and addressing the underlying issues that fuel unrest in the country.

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