Ex-Edo Attorney-General leads protest against rising insecurity, poverty

A former Edo State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Osagie Obayuwana, yesterday, led hundreds of protesters comprising a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSO) in Benin City against rising insecurity in the country.

The protest, was, however, interrupted by members of the state Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV), who argued that the protest was against the interest of the state.

The development forced the protesters to converge on the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) along Reservation Road in Benin City, where they condemned the disruption of the peaceful rally.

The protesters, who carried placards with several inscriptions blaming the Federal Government for insecurity and poverty in the country, said they converged on the New Benin Market from where they intended to march through Benin City before members of PUWOV swooped on them.

Obayuwana, who canvassed immediate disbandment of the group, alleged that the PUWOV officials destroyed some of the banners and destroyed their laptops with which they were playing music for the rally.

On why they staged the protest, Obayuwana said it was a nationwide mobilisation against insecurity and mass poverty in the country.

“The Nigerian people can no longer keep quiet, at no time in the history of Nigeria has insecurity situation ever been as terrible as it is today, you can’t travel from, even within your village, you can’t go to your farm; children in schools have been objects of kidnap.”

“Seventeen governors of the South have called on the president to address the country. Even yesterday over 200 students were kidnapped in an Islamic school in Niger State. Enough is enough!

“From our assessment of the situation, we have seen that there is a direct relationship between insecurity and poverty. Where there is no justice, there cannot be peace and we are saying that the security of life and property is a fundamental right that all of us are entitled to and it is a duty the government owes to all Nigerians,” he stated.

Obayuwana charged the Federal Government to abolish all anti-poor policies, create state police and city police, adding: “We condemn the killing of policemen and destruction of government facilities.”

He also condemned the Kaduna State government for sacking workers and Federal Government’s planned increase in the price of petroleum products.