Police to FCT residents: Don’t join protest — government is trying its best

Bennett Igweh, the commissioner of police in the federal capital territory (FCT), says residents of the nation’s capital should avoid being part of the planned nationwide protest.

There are reports that some youths are planning a nationwide protest between August 1 and 15 against the country’s rising cost of living and economic hardship.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Monday, Igweh urged residents not to participate in any protest, noting that the police have worked hard to ensure safety in the FCT.

“I want to appeal specifically to the residents, indigenes, and everybody in the FCT. Please, lions do not destroy their dens,” Punch quoted the police commissioner as saying.

“You cannot see a lion that destroys its den. No, I would not like you to join this protest. I plead with you because we have worked hard to ensure your safety.

“We have fought those people outside Abuja. We have been to Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Niger to fight criminals so that you can be safe. I have lost men.

“Last week alone in Gidango, I lost two policemen. The other day, I lost two more. Let our loss pay for the protest. I want to plead with you.”

Igweh added that the government is doing its best, adding that the results can be seen in the work of the president and FCT minister.

“If you check, the government has provided good roads. Whether it’s from the minister of FCT or the president, check the streets in FCT, from Wuse to anywhere you can check, even in the hinterlands,” he said.

“They are trying their best. I don’t need to talk to anybody, but I’m saying it because we have been in the FCT. We know when there are changes. There are changes now in the FCT.

“And we don’t want miscreants outside the FCT to come and start destroying them. We will go back to square one, where we were before. I plead, I beg of you, do not join this protest.

“Let us continue collectively to make the FCT safe. Let them go and do what they want to do. But not with us.

“Act maturely. Act maturely. Act like people who appreciate it. Even with the losses we have suffered to ensure your safety, use it to appreciate us. If you do this, we will be happy. We will continue to provide security for you. God bless all of you.”