Riot Sponsors Who Hijacked Protests Fled Nigeria Before Chaos Began – IGP

Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, revealed that several individuals suspected of sponsoring rioters who hijacked a planned peaceful protest against bad governance and hunger fled the country on the eve of the protest. This move occurred before the police could apprehend them.

“Before the protest, we received intelligence indicating that certain agents were determined to use the protest to destabilize the country. Some of these individuals had already left the country, while others left on the day the protest began,” Egbetokun stated.

Addressing the outcry from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over a police raid at a shop located at Labour House, Egbetokun dismissed the concerns as unwarranted. “There was no need for the noise about the alleged raid on Labour House because we did not raid Labour House. We tracked a prime suspect we were searching for and recovered sensitive documents implicating the individual. He was using the shop or place of business as a front.”

Speaking at the Nigerian Police Youth Summit held at the Police Resource Centre in Abuja, the IGP emphasized that the police had opposed the protest from the start, given its branding as “10 Days of Rage.” According to him, this title indicated that the protest was unlikely to remain peaceful. “When you label a protest ’10 Days of Rage,’ you know it is not going to be peaceful, and that was evident.”

Egbetokun further criticized the organizers, stating that had they been sincere about their intentions, they would have followed the guidelines or met with their respective state Commissioner of Police for their own safety.

The IGP also condemned the recurring incidents of Igbos being asked to leave certain states or zones or being attacked during protests. “It may be true in a few places, but generally, Nigerians have lived together peacefully for years. I advise those facing such issues to report them to the nearest police or security authorities.”

The youth summit aimed to foster an honest dialogue with Nigerian youths about the various challenges—economic, security, and more—facing the nation and to explore possible solutions.

In his keynote address, Professor Lanrewaju Fagboun, former Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, highlighted the factors driving Nigerian youth to oppose the country’s leadership. He cited economic challenges, a lack of trust in security agencies, and a justice system that fails to hold criminals accountable.

“I am pleased that President Tinubu has made efforts to reposition the judiciary, but the judiciary itself must undergo introspection to cleanse its ranks,” Fagboun concluded.