The
crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly took a dangerous
twist on Thursday in Akure as some protesters attacked the convoy of
Gov. Olusegun Mimiko.
It
took the timely intervention of the men of the state police command
to disperse the protesters, some of whom were also injured in the
pandemonium that ensued.
The
protest, which started on Wednesday, was against the governor’s
move to present the 2017 budget to the Assembly.
Following
the protest, Mimiko reportedly shifted the budget presentation to
another day.
The
protesters alleged that the governor wanted to sponsor 38 bills and
ensure that the bills were passed into law before his tenure expired
on Feb. 23, 2017.
The
protesters vowed to prevent the governor from presenting the
appropriation bill to the Assembly.
According
to an eyewitness, immediately the protesters sighted the governor’s
convoy on the road leading to the House of Assembly, some of them
started throwing stones at the convoy.
However,
the leader of the protesters, Mr Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, condemned the
action of the police in dispersing them, saying that the protest was
not a violent one.
“We
don’t know why there is this issue of sporadic shooting by the
police in a peaceful protest.
“It
is uncalled for, and we are calling on the Inspector General of
Police, well-meaning Nigerians and citizens of Ondo State to look
into the matter.
“What
we are protesting for is to tell our people that the governor is
bringing a bill that will bring untold hardship to the people of the
state. We are not violent with it,” he said.
The
state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Femi Joseph, who confirmed
the attack on the governor’s convoy, explained that the police had
to disperse the protesters when they appeared to be going violent.
He
said that the Commissioner of Police in the state was not biased,
saying the commissioner’s interest was to ensure that there was no
breakdown of law and order in the state.
“Some
of them attacked the convoy of the governor; about two vehicles in
the convoy were damaged by the protesters.
“We
initially allowed them to protest peacefully, we also appealed to
them to be peaceful but when they started barricading the road
throwing stones at the governor’s convoy, we have to disperse
them,” he said.
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