Adekunbi Ero
…..Oshiomhole has no hand in riot, replies media aide
Three people lost their lives and several banks severely vandalised on Wednesday as rioters unleashed mayhem on Benin City, Edo State capital in frustration over their continued inability to access their money trapped in banks due to scarcity of newly redesigned naira notes.
The state government, at a press conference, however accused immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, (APC) Adams Oshiomhole, of sponsoring the riots and called for his immediate arrest, an allegation the former governor of the state denied.
Apart attacking banks, other public infrastructure were also destroyed. The Military however intervened to arrest the situation from degenerating further.
Describing the violent protests as “systematic and targeted at Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) -controlled states”, the state communication and Orientation commissioner, Chris Osa Nehikhare, called on security agencies to “invite Oshiomhole, interrogate him and arrest him to account for his movements within Benin City in the last couple of days”.
Nehikhare said after appraising the situation, the government “discovered that there is more than meets the eyes”.
According to him, “Today, we had the unfortunate incident of the protest in Edo State, particularly in Benin City as a result of the new naira redesigning policy. We have gone round the town and we have discovered that there is more than meets the eyes. We are by this press conference calling on all security agencies to call on Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for questioning, arrest him, and make him account for his movements in the last couple of days in Benin City.
“We have reasons to believe that Oshiomhole instigated the riots. There is a video which has gone viral, where Oshiomhole is seen instigating his ‘lions and tigers’ to riot, destroy and attack government property. Today’s riot is thought to be as a result of the naira redesigning. It is the same party responsible for the policy, that is the one instigating people to protest, and in doing that, PDP billboards are destroyed. One of the billboards destroyed is a 50-feet gantry. Oshiomhole has unleashed his ‘lions and tigers’ because his party is about to face an imminent defeat at the coming general elections”.
Joined by Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media Projects,
Nehikhare, urged people of the state to remain calm, stating that the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) had assured the state government that it had enough money to be given to Point Of Sales (POS) operators in the state for circulation. He admonished that this could only be achieved in an atmosphere of peace.
“Edo people should remain calm and know that they are the ones we are protecting. It is strange that when the APC federal government forced universities to close down for eight months, the APC governors did not talk. When the fuel scarcity became biting, the APC governors did not talk. But when the naira redesigning policy, initiated by the same APC government is now affecting the APC governors, they suddenly woke up to talk. The only way the APC governors can make an impact in the coming election is to give them the opportunity to buy votes.
“We are already engaging the CBN seriously, and by tomorrow (Thursday), they assured us that the market will be filled with the new naira notes. We therefore wish to warn those behind the riots to note that if they should continue, the security agencies will deal with them”, Nehikhare warned.
When reminded that there were riots in Oyo and Delta States over the same issue, Nehikhare posited that it was not coincidental that the protests took place in PDP-controlled states, alleging that “It is a systematic protest organised by the APC in all PDP states. This is an APC policy and it does not make sense that PDP will go and destroy PDP infrastructures”
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