The Edo State government has accused the former governor of the state and past national chairman of the All Progres­sives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, of instigating the riot that broke out in the early hours of Wednesday in Benin City, the state capital, which led to the death of three persons and a number of banks and other infrastructures destroyed.
This occurred when pro­testers expressed their anger over the scarcity of the new naira notes occasioned by the redesigning of the N1,000, N500 and N200 denominations of the nation’s currency.
Addressing a press confer­ence in his office soon after the situation was brought un­der control by security agents, Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orienta­tion, Mr. Chris Osa Nehikhare, said that the state government, after appraising the situation, “discovered that there is more than meets the eyes”.
While describing the riots as “systematic and targeted at Peo­ples Democratic Party’s (PDP) controlled states”, Nehikhare called on security agencies to “invite Oshiomhole, interrogate him and arrest him to account for his movements within Be­nin City in the last couple of days.
“Today, we had the unfortu­nate incident of the protest in Edo State, particularly in Benin City as a result of the new nai­ra redesigning policy. We have gone round the town and we have discovered that there is more than meets the eyes. We are by this press conference calling on all security agencies to call on Comrade Adams Osh­iomhole for questioning, arrest him and make him account for his movements in the last cou­ple of days in Benin City.
“We have reasons to believe that Oshiomhole instigated the riots. There is a video, which has gone viral, where Oshiom­hole is seen instigating his lions and tigers to riot, destroy and at­tack government property.
“Today’s riot is thought to be as a result of the naira re­designing. It is the same party responsible for the policy that is the one instigating people to protest and in doing that PDP billboards are destroyed.
“One of the billboards de­stroyed is a 50-feet gantry. Osh­iomhole has unleashed his lions and tigers because his party is about to face an imminent de­feat at the coming general elec­tions”, Nehikhare, who was flanked at the press conference by Crusoe Osagie, the Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media Projects, said.
Nehikhare, who called on the citizens of the state to remain calm also said that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had as­sured the state government that it had enough money to be given to Point of Sales (POS) opera­tors in the state for circulation, adding that that could only be achieved in an atmosphere of peace.
“Edo people should remain calm and know that they are the ones we are protecting. It is strange that when the APC Federal Government forced uni­versities to close down for eight months, the APC governors did not talk.
“When the fuel scarcity be­came biting, the APC governors did not talk. But when the naira redesigning policy, initiated by the same APC government is now affecting the APC gover­nors, they suddenly woke up to talk. The only way the APC governors can make an impact in the coming election is to give them the opportunity to buy votes.
“We are already engaging the CBN seriously and by to­morrow (today), they assured us that the market will be filled with the new naira notes. We, therefore, wish to warn those behind the riots to note that if they should continue, the se­curity agencies will deal with them”, Nehikhare warned.
The commissioner, when quickly reminded that there were similar riots in Oyo and Delta states over the same is­sue, responded by saying that it was not coincidental that the protests took place in PDP-con­trolled states, saying: “It is a systematic protest organised by the APC in all PDP states. This is an APC policy and it does not make sense that PDP will go and destroy PDP infra­structures”.
“The APC Federal Govern­ment is lame duck and is being attacked daily by APC gover­nors over APC policies. I will not be surprised if by tomorrow, there is riot in Kaduna or Kogi state to give it a resemblance of balance. Nigerians should wait for February 25 to chase the bald heads out of the town and replace the APC government with a party that cares about the people, the PDP”, he said.
On his part, the Special Adviser on Media Project to the governor, Crusoe Osagie, called on the people of the state to remain calm as the state gov­ernment is working with the central bank to make money available in banks and various outlets.
He called on them to use their PVCs to vote out the par­ty that has brought them the hardship that they are facing currently.
Reacting to the allegation of instigation, Comrade Oshiom­hole denied ever instigating anybody to demonstrate and asked the Edo State government to look elsewhere for the excuse it was making for its abysmal performance in the state.
Speaking through his media aide, Victor Oshioke, the former governor of Edo State said that there was no way he could insti­gate the people to take up arms against the policies of an APC-led Federal Government.
“As we speak now, Comrade is in Port Harcourt for the APC presidential campaign rally. Yesterday (Tuesday) he was in Imo State. Comrade did not instigate anything. Edo State government should go and face its failure and why the people are about to reject it who did the Comrade instigate? The Obaseki government is just using Oshiomhole’s name as face saving for its failure in all ramifications.
“The problem is that Edo people are about to compare the Oshiomhole government of over eight years ago with that of Obaseki and the gov­ernment is panicking. It is the fear of that comparison that is making the government say what it is saying. Obaseki and Philip Shaibu have failed woe­fully and they are intimidated by the large crowd that follows Comrade Oshiomhole anytime he is in Benin.
“Which video are they talking about? The Comrade asked APC members to go to the streets and campaign for the party and its candidates and by that, the opponent will be intimidated. Is that instiga­tion? If they have any evidence that Comrade instigated any­body, let them bring it forward. Otherwise, let the Edo State government go and face where they have failed and the verdict of the people at the coming elec­tions”, Oshioke said