The Abia State Police Command, on Monday, revealed that some individuals or groups of persons are currently planning to stage protests in the state.
However, following what many perceived as unlawful abduction of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by the Nigerian government last week, some of the supporters of the freedom fighter are making moves to stage a peaceful demonstration in all the states of the south east geopolitical zone.
Kanu is being detained by the Nigerian government over terrorism charge and other crimes; charges dismissed by many as frivolous. Nonetheless, his supporters have vowed to stage peaceful protests in some parts of the South Eastern Nigeria, particularly in the Abia State.
Kanu hails from Afaraukwu, Ibeku in Umuahia North and was recently arrested in Kenya in an undisclosed location.
The Nigeria Police, Abia State Command in a statement yesterday, asked the intending protesters to desist from it owing to the current level of insecurity in the state. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Geoffrey Ogbonna, a Superintendent of Police, who issued the statement on behalf of the State Commissioner of Police, CP Janet Agbade said, “Intelligence at the disposal of Abia State Police Command has it that individuals or groups of persons are planning to lead protests of any kind in the State”.
Full text of the press statement reads: “Intelligence at the disposal of Abia State Police Command has it that individuals or group of persons are planning to lead protests of any kind in the State.
“In view of the Security Situation in the Country especially in the South East Geo-Political Zone, the Commissioner of Police Abia State Command wishes to advise intending protesters to desist or postpone such exercise forth-with.
“This has become necessary as hoodlums or miscreants may hijack the process to unleash mayhem on the lives and property of innocent citizens.
“The Security Operatives in the State have been placed on red alert as the Command will not tolerate any act capable of truncating the peace in the State”.
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
