Tag: Odua People’s Congress (OPC)

OPC Warns Hoodlums To Stop Looting, Demands Investigation Into Lekki Shootings

A file photo of cars burnt by hoodlums during the violence in Lagos on October 21, 2020.

 

The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) has called for an immediate stop to the destruction of properties by hoodlums in the South-West region of the country.

The group warned that if the hoodlums responsible for the violence do not withdraw from the streets, it might be forced to bring out its men to guarantee security. This was disclosed in a statement signed on Friday by Wasiu Afolabi, Deputy President to the late Founder, Dr Frederick Fasehun after a meeting by OPC executives in Lagos.

The group also lamented over Lekki Tollgate shootings and called for President Muhammadu Buhari and Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwoolu to immediately set up a panel of enquiry into the incident.

“Such a heinous crime must not be swept under the carpet; or else we shall be nurturing a licence-to-kill mentality in our military men and security operatives as well as open up our civilian citizenry to the abuse and impunity of those supposed to protect us,” Afolabi said.

OPC said the peaceful conduct of the #EndSARS protests had been hijacked by hoodlums who now found an opportunity to loot, cause mayhem and destroy the economic basis of the South West region.

“Private businesses should not suffer for the ineptitude of the government and the criminality of evil policemen.”OPC as an organisation will not fold its arms and watch the region turned into the scapegoat of the #EndSARS protests,” the OPC Deputy President added.

However, the organisation noted that every agitation must end on the negotiation table and time had come for campaigners to step back and see whether or not the government would fulfil its promise to end SARS and bring about massive reforms in the police.

“The #EndSARS campaigns got our unflinching support and we fully backed the protesters.”Not only is it their legitimate and constitutionally-guaranteed right to express our collective pain, but indeed and in fact, that arm of the Nigeria Police had turned itself into an unruly terrorist clique with clear and verifiable abuses of citizens’ rights to life, movement and liberty.”

As citizens, those protesting had a duty to denounce SARS and FSARS operatives in order to prevent them from continuing their evil business as usual,” Afolabi said.

The group said further that the destruction of businesses and tools of businesses amounted to a huge loss to the people of the South-West.

Many of the owners of the vandalised businesses as well as those who were gainfully employed in those places could end up losing their jobs.

He, therefore, concluded that OPC would not tolerate a situation where South-West citizens become the biggest losers of the anti-SARS campaign.

Analyst Blames Federal And State Governments Over Missing Chibok Girls

vlcsnap-2014-05-05-14h44m09s235A public affairs analyst, Mr Sola Ojewusi, has blamed the federal and state governments over the kidnap of over two hundred school girls in Chibok, Borno State.

Speaking as a guest on Sunrise Daily, Channels Television’s breakfast programme on Monday, Ojewusi blamed the lack of synergy between the governments and the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

Reacting to a comment credited to the Head of WAEC’s National Office in Nigeria, Charles Eguridu, Ojewusi said “there seems to be a disconnect right from all forces that should have given the security needed to this kind of people involved.

“There is kind of a slow approach from the state and federal governments and from all the people that should have acted”.

He called for an investigation into the allegation made by Eguridu that the WAEC had recommended the relocation of the students from Chibok to Uba Local Government Area in Borno state.

He urged the federal government to create a better way of communication with the state governor and vice versa because “the president is in Abuja” and those on ground “may have more information than the presidency” noting that “you don’t expect the president to be everywhere”. He however was quick to add that the “buck stops at his desk”.

“But you have to help the president to do the things that you have asked him to do” he said.

He further noted that the Boko Haram issue is a Nigerian problem and not a regional problem citing the concerns the federal government had when the Niger Delta militants were attacking oil installations and kidnapping expatriates working for oil and construction companies.

He called on northern elders to call the radical Islamist sect to order the way “leaders in the south west went to meet this people (Odua People’s Congress) and told them we know you are trying to do something to be able to be a voice for the people of the South West but there are certain actions you are taking that is going to affect the interest of not only the south west but Nigeria” .