Shelve planned October 1 protest, Kogi CP urges youths  

The Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Bethrand Onuoha, has advised those planning to stage a protest on October 1 to reconsider and give the government more time to address the nation’s economic challenges.

The commissioner made this appeal on Saturday during an engagement with the executives of the “Take It Back” movement, Kogi State chapter, at the command headquarters in Lokoja.

A statement issued in the early hours of Sunday, September 29, by the Police Public Relations Officer, William Aya, stated that “the Commissioner of Police advised the group to reconsider their planned protest and give the government more time to fix the economy of our dear nation.”

He explained that the meeting was called in response to a letter received from the group on Friday, 27th September 2024.

The commissioner further stated, “The group has the right to peaceful protest in accordance with existing laws, but to avoid playing into the hands of disgruntled elements or hoodlums, and to prevent them from hijacking the process and unleashing mayhem on innocent citizens, destroying property, and damaging critical infrastructure — which would, in turn, have serious negative effects on the nation’s economy — it would be wise to reconsider.”

The leader of the group assured the Commissioner of Police that, as enlightened and law-abiding youths in Kogi State, they would accept his advice and remain committed to the peace, progress, and development of the state.

He added that the executive members would meet to deliberate on the issues raised by the commissioner and come to a reasonable resolution regarding their participation in the protest.

The group commended the Commissioner of Police for the constructive engagement, which they said had gone a long way in enlightening them on their responsibilities as youths who are the leaders of tomorrow and vanguards of development.

Present at the meeting were Deputy Commissioner of Police Chike Nwabuwa, Deputy Commissioner of Police for Operations, Assistant Commissioner of Police Aigbe Aghahowa, Superintendent of Police William Aya (Police Public Relations Officer), Superintendent of Police Emmanuel Abogonye (2iC SID/OC Monitoring Unit), and Deputy Superintendent of Police Christopher Okoebor.
Members of the group in attendance included Coordinator Mose Opeyemi, Oloruntoba Segun, Muhammed Abdul, Ande Joel, Michael John, Musa Matthew, Usman Alfa, Mohammed Usman Ahmed, Ibrahim Shaibu, and Adama Shaibu.