The Nigerian Police Force has pleaded with citizens to disembark from the proposed nationwide protest.
The FCT Commissioner of Police (CP), Benneth Igweh, urged residents of Abuja to shun the protests to prevent the destruction of new infrastructure recently put in place by the FCT administration and President Bola Tinubu.
Igwe made this appeal on Monday, as the date for proposed protests against economic hardship in the country by unnamed groups draws near.
The Commisioner of Police also paraded the mastermind of the armed robbery gang that killed retired Brigadier General Uwen Harold Udokwerre in Abuja on June 22, 2024.
While speaking on the proposed strike, Igweh said, “Lions do not destroy their den. We’ve worked so hard to ensure the FCT’s security. For this reason, we have travelled to Kaduna, Kogi, and Nasarawa to apprehend our criminals who have come to disrupt the peace in Abuja.
“In this process, we have lost officers. Last week, we lost two officers; the previous week, we lost one officer over efforts at providing security and safeguarding residents. We don’t want to lose any more people.
“So please don’t allow the destruction of what the minister and Mr. President are doing.” We have lived in this Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and are familiar with the changes made to the roads and infrastructure. I am pleading with residents not to join this protest. We don’t want miscreants to come from outside the FCT and destroy them. We will return to square one. I beg you, please do not join this protest.
“Let us continue collectively to make FCT safe. Let them go and do what they want to do. But not with us. Act maturely. Act maturely. Act like people who appreciate it. Despite the losses we’ve endured to ensure your safety, let’s use them to show our appreciation. If you give it to us, we will be very happy. We will continue to provide security for you.”
