Hours after banning the #SARSMUSTGO protests in Port Harcourt and the youths defying his unconstitutional ban and demanding he addresses them, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has said reforming the police will end every form of brutality.
The governor who spoke to the protesters who block the government house said his government has spoken against police brutality more than any other state in Nigeria, saying “SARS can never be my friend”.
I will never support Sars – Gov. Wike #PhProtest #SARSMUSTENDNOW #SarsMustGoNow #BuhariHasBeenABadBoy Cuppy Selina Abobi Ruggedity Bolt Rivers State Flutterwave Cousin Yemi INEC PHTwitter Lauretta Onochie Port Hacourt #EndPoliceBrutalityinNigeria #TachaSARSProtest #NoBraDay pic.twitter.com/XF4Zap13rP
— The Duke 👑 (@Duke_CBE) October 13, 2020
“If we do not reform the Police, the same SARS officers will be deployed to other units of the Force to continue their evil acts.
“It is not only to end SARS. Already, there is a pronouncement to scrap it. But every Nigerian should support the total reform of the Police.
“SARS cannot and has never been our friend in Rivers state. They killed a lecturer at Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic without a cause and people kept quiet.
“President Muhammadu Buhari said he will reform the Police. Let us be ready to hold him by his words,” he said.
The Governor stated that he took an oath of office to protect the lives and property of Rivers people.
According to him, this made him to condemn the brutality and kidnapping activities of SARS officers against Rivers people.
He pointed out that instead of a national support against such evil, leaders in some quarters reduced it to politics.
“What we find in this country is that people play to the gallery. They hate people who speak the truth.
“When we raised the alarm over the killings of Rivers people by SARS operatives, nobody listened to us as they said I was playing politics with it.
“No Governor saw the need to speak out against that evil. That was because it was not happening in their States. Now the evil of SARS has touched them, they want everybody to join.
“Rivers State does not play second fiddle. The life of Rivers people matter to me and I will continue to protect them.
“What you are protesting against, I had campaigned against it long ago. If only they listened, we will not be protesting today”, he stated.
