Governor Nyseom Wike addressing #EndSARS protesters in Port Harcourt.
Wike has finally bowed to pressure and has joined #EndSARS protesters.
Newsone Nigeria reports that the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, joined #EndSARS protesters in Port-Harcourt, the state capital after he had initially banned residents of the state from protesting the brutality and extra-judicial actions committed by officials of the dissolved Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
This online news medium had reported earlier that Governor Wike banned all forms of protests in Rivers State and particularly, the #EndSARS protests currently rocking many states in Nigeria.
The Rivers State Governor in a statement signed by the State Commissioner for Information, Paulinus Nsirim on Monday evening, announced that no form of #EndSARS protest will be allowed in the state.
Governor Wike said the decision to ban the protests followed the announcement by the Inspector-General of Police that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has been dissolved. He, therefore, argued that since SARS has been dissolved, there is no need for the protests to continue.
“The Rivers State Government hereby wish to inform the general public that all forms of protests have been banned throughout the State.”
“Therefore, all proposed protests under #EndSars Campaign are hereby prohibited.
“Government took this decision because the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had already scrapped the Special Anti-Robbery Squad,” Wike had said.
However, Governor Wike bowed to pressure on Tuesday afternoon after initial threat, as he joined #EndSARS protesters in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, where he lamented while addressing the protesters that no state in Nigeria has suffered SARS brutality more than Rivers State, south-south Nigeria.
In a tweet after the protest, Wike said: “It is not only ending SARS, every Nigerian should support the total reform of the Police. We shouldn’t make a mistake, If we #EndSars as they have done the same police people would be used to form another body. That is what I have always supported and called for.”