INC’s threat over Dagogo’s release, waste of time, says Wike

… flays Peterside for allegedly threatening peace, stability
• Tonye Cole must account for River’s $50 million

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has described as a waste of time, the 48 hours ultimatum issued by the Ijaw National Congress (INC) over the arrest of Farah Dagogo, who is standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy to felony and cultism.

Wike, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said the right thing INC should have done was to visit the government to find out the crux of the issues.

According to Wike, Farah should have lived within the bounds of the amnesty offered him by the Federal Government instead of returning to acts that threatened the peaceful conduct of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) screening exercise.

Wike explained that as the chief security officer of the state, he directed the police to arrest Dagogo because he had mobilised cultists to disrupt the screening of federal and state legislature aspirants.

Wike also berated the former director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, for threatening the peace and stability of the state over the arrest and arraignment of Dagogo in court.

But the media aide to Dagogo, Ibrahim Lawal, said: “Contrary to the misinformation the governor peddled, Dagogo is not a criminal, he has never been charged as one, neither has he been convicted of such an offence. His record remains unblemished. The story of the Niger Delta agitation and struggle is in the public domain, and Hon. Dr. Farah Dagogo had stated his role publicly, the sacrifices and the overtures he rejected.” 

ALSO at the thanksgiving, Wike said no person would succeed in becoming the next governor of the state if the intention is to make the state a personal estate.

He said the All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant, Tonye Cole, would have to first answer to what had happened to the $50 million his Sahara Energy Company received through the Access Bank from the Rivers State Government when Chibuike Amaechi was governor.

He said: “He (Cole) must account for the $50 million they took from our account. Whoever knows him should tell him. $50 million was taken from Rivers State Access Bank account and taken to Sahara Energy account. And I asked them what is the job you people did for Rivers State? Can I see the contract paper, did you people loan us money?”