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30 suspects arrested, says police
From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The Ogun State Government has described the violent protests that rocked Sagamu, on Monday, during which innocent people were attacked while banks and public infrastructure were razed, as “a politically motivated” one.
Irate protesters had on Monday morning stormed major streets in Sagamu to protest the scarcity of new naira notes and torched two banks, and destroyed public buildings, including Sagamu LG Secretariat, INEC and IBEDC offices in the town.
But in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Ogun State governor, Kunle Somorin, the state government said it was reliably informed that some disgruntled members and candidates of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were sighted leading the demonstration.
The statement noted that “while the protests were purportedly against the ‘scarcity of naira notes, the real intention of these elements became obvious with the involvement of known PDP members”.
The statement reads further: “It is on record that the campaign tour of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which moved through Simawa to Ogijo and back to Sagamu, where two roads were commissioned yesterday, ended without any hitch. The APC rally was attended by tens of thousands of people at different locations, lasting from about 8.00 am in the morning to 8.00p.m in the evening without any violence, quarrels, or disagreements whatsoever.
“We believe strongly that it was the success of the APC rally of yesterday that got the feeble opposition PDP frustrated and therefore made their members embark on the mindless destruction of properties.
“The governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has been on top of the fallouts of the naira re-design issues. The governor had visited the Central Bank headquarters in Abeokuta and some other commercial banks’ branches, made a state broadcast and empathize with the people with a reassurance that efforts are on to ameliorate the negative impacts of the controversial policy on the people. Ogun State is also one of the states that has taken the Federal Government to court on the naira swap policy.
“Attacks on innocent people and the destruction of private and public properties cannot solve the current problem but will rather worsen the situation. Therefore, we must not allow desperate politicians to mislead members of the public and use them as cannons to vent frustration.
“Rather, our people should exercise patience and be law abiding while waiting to cast their votes for the party that has stood by the populace even at this critical period.
“Arrests have been made by the police, who immediately swung into investigation. Ogun State has been acknowledged as one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria; and the government shall not fold its hands and allow the state to be defined by thuggery, violence, and arson. The full wrath of the law will be made to bear on the culprits, no matter who their sponsors are”.
Efforts to get the Ogun State Chairman of the PDP, Sikirulahi Ogundele and State Secretary, Sunday Solarin, to react to the allegations of the ruling party proved abortive, as telephone calls made to them were neither picked nor returned as at the time of writing this report.
Meanwhile, police in the state disclosed that no fewer than 30 persons have been arrested in connection with the violent protests.
According to the police spokesperson in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, the arrested persons have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department on the order of the Commissioner of Police, Frank Mba.
Oyeyemi added that the combined team of policemen and military men were on ground to monitor the situation.
