By Charles Igbo
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, says the #EndSARS protests have been hijacked by politicians and criminals. He is of the view that politicians who have any score to settle with others are now using the protesters to settle such scores. Moreso, he said the protests have been hijacked by hoodlums
The Governor who is the Chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum spoke on the heels of the attack on Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola in Osogbo by the protesters on Saturday.
The protest in Osogbo had turned violent with markets and malls set ablaze.
Oyetola who had joined the protesters, along with some members of his cabinet, on a protest march, was apologising to them for not coming to address them earlier because he was out of town, and came in an hour earlier, was violently attacked.
The protesters pounced on Oyetola and his entourage with all kinds of weapons, destroying cars, injuring people and sending many scampering for their dear lives. He was spirited away, but two people were killed.
In a statement issued on his behalf by his Chief Press Secretary, Ojo Oyewamide, on Saturday’s incident, Akeredolu condemned in strong terms the attack on Gov. Oyetola by #EndSARS protesters in Osogbo, the State Capital.
Aside describing the attack as unwarranted, misdirected and repulsive, Governor Akeredolu bemoaned the act, and insisted that the genuine movement has been hijacked by politicians to visit their frustrations on .perceived opponents
He said:
“Undoubtedly, the #EndSARS movement has had a popular and receptive attitude to it by majority of Nigerians, including policy makers, who have seen in it, an opportunity to deepen concern and redirect efforts towards veritable reforms aimed at achieving positive results.
“All the same, the desirability or otherwise of this movement appears to have come under a curious integrity test following the misdirected anger visited on Governor Oyetola.
“This act is a clear act of terrorism under the guise of a civil and supposedly peaceful protest that has been hijacked by criminals and hoodlums hired by politicians. This is more so, that dangerous weapons were said to have been deployed in the ignoble act.
“Nothing more describes and represents this pernicious act as repulsive. It is, therefore, pertinent to call on the organisers to rein in stakeholders involved in the #EndSARS protests so as to stratify between those with genuine, altruistic desires for reforms and elements who have offered themselves as mercenaries to unleash mayhem on innocent people.
“It must be noted that State Governors stand in between two inescapable points of challenges: while they ought to be Chief Security Officers in their respective States, are indeed, compelled to act as such, the workability of such still remains some distance away from reality.
“In order words, the attack on Governor Oyetola or any other Governor anywhere in the Country is a clear infliction of double jeopardy. No Governor is in charge of any Police Formation, Unit or Department.”
Akeredolu called on youths to hold firm their belief in the Nigerian Project and press for whatever is desirable to make it work.
He, also, admonished them not to be useful tools in the hands of politicians at this trying period.
