Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers State, alleged that the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), acting under the guise of the #EndSARS protest, killed six soldiers and four policemen in the state.
A statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said that Wike spoke on Friday when the Nigerian Guild of Editors paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
According to the governor, the EndSARS protest was peaceful in Rivers until members of IPOB hijacked it, and took laws into their hands.
“I don’t support criminality. IPOB killed six army officers, four policemen, burnt police stations and court buildings. This is Rivers State. Go to Oyigbo and see the level of destruction. Now the State Government will be rebuilding those facilities,” Wike said.
“Those who don’t understand our actions are saying we are fighting the Igbo. How will they allow criminals to speak for them when there are intelligent Igbo people to speak for them?
“If they (IPOB) are aggrieved, instead of channelling it to the right quarters, they go and kill innocent people and destroy public places”.
This week, Wike signed an executive order proscribing the activities of IPOB in Rivers, describing it as a terrorist group.
Wike berated Nigeria’s intelligence community for failing to unravel how the youths behind the protests were able to do so without a known leader.
“Now look at what has happened. There was EndSARS protest across the country. Nobody knows how the youths were able to organise themselves without a leader.
“Up until now, intelligence can’t even know how they did it and who’s behind them. Without good intelligence, how can Nigeria even defeat Boko Haram?” he queried.
Turning to the media, Wike challenged members of the Guild to hold public office holders accountable to the people.
He wondered what has happened to the Nigerian press, which according to him used to be a strong voice and conscience of the society.
“What I have seen of you is that you praise us and give us award because of relationship or friendship. That’s not the way it should be. Challenge us; the people in authority and we will sit up to our responsibilities. We will have no choice than to perform and serve the people as it should be.
“My support for you has to do with the fact that you are supposed to tell the truth of what is happening in Nigeria.
“There was a time you were exposing the ills of society. If not for you certain things will not be known. Assume your role, grow strong again and speak out”.
Wike informed the editors that Nigeria was facing a difficult period in its history, and insisted that the NGE could not shy away from performing its duties without fear or favour.
“If when I castigated the operations of SARS you added your voice, who knows what good that would have achieved,” he said.
