There was a mild drama at the Ministry of Interior yesterday when two groups of demonstrating youths stormed the ministry to protest the death of the 17 Nigerian youths during the recent recruitment exercise by the Nigerian Immigration Services.
While one group called for the sack and prosecution of the Minister, Comrade Abba Moro, accusing him of negligence, the other group dismissed the request, alleging that some people had sponsored them.
In fact, for the wisdom and prompt intervention of the senior staff of the ministry and men of the paramilitary outfits, the situation would have degenerated into bloodshed as one group tried to outsmart the other, resulting in a violent shouts and near exchange of fisticuffs.
Our correspondent who monitored the incidence reports that trouble started when no fewer than 10 anti-minister protesters who had arrived the ministry at about 2.00pm in a gorilla war mood, pouring buckets of red paints on the entrance of the secretariat and painting the floor with inscriptions ‘murderer, met stiff resistance from the men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.
While speaking to the journalists, the leader of the pro-minister protesters, Etuk Bassey Williams, said: “They cannot be more activist or Nigerian than me. From the way they behaved, it was obvious that they were sponsored to organise this protest. The solution is not the call to sack the minister or call for his prosecution. We must give government chance to continue with arrangements they put in place to handle the incident.”
However, speaking earlier, the leader of the anti-minister protesters, Ms Azeenarh Mohammed, said: “I want to put it on record that the 17 Nigerian youths that died during the recruitment exercise died because of negligence.”
“The significant of the red paint we poured here was to remind the minister of the innocent souls he killed. Every time they stepped on the paint, it will remind them of the 17 souls that perished. They can wash out this paint but cannot wash out the blood of the 17 innocent youths that died because of his negligence.
“I have no doubt that we will get justice for the dead victims. We don’t want anybody fired or sacked, we only want criminal prosecution of those involved. This protest will continue every week until we make their lives hellish. We will continuously remind them of the souls that perished because of lack of negligence.
“We want to ensure that it did not happen again because we have ways of managing crowd in Nigeria. The churches organise vigils every time yet nobody died. JAMB organises examination involving over one million candidates yet nobody died, the question is why can’t the ministry of Interior do the same thing.
“Why should 17 people died because somebody is incompetent. I don’t want anybody sacked, all we need is criminal prosecution and if they fail, we will continue to come here every single week to make the situation very difficult for them. We won’t rest until justice is done,” she warned.
Another young man spearheading the anti-minister, who identified himself as concerned Nigerian citizen, said: “I know my right and you cannot stop me. Let me make it clear that every Nigerian citizen has God-given right to protest.
“The 17 souls that died during the recruitment exercise deserve more than what we have seen so far from the government. Nothing has actually happened since the incidence. The minister has continued to do his job and Nigerians are just going about their daily business and nobody is asking any question.
“What happened was an act of irresponsible citizenship yet nobody was held liable. We are not here to fight anybody but we want to compel the system to do the right thing. It is not even enough to sack the minister of Interior if he refused to resign but he must face criminal prosecution because of his negligence.
“We understand that the minister defiled every advice not to hold the recruitment exercise. So, he has to take absolute responsibility and the first step is his resignation because he does not have the honour to continue as minister. Even though they unleashed their security on us, we still achieved our purpose. We don’t care all the Nigerian youths joined us. What we have achieved today was to bring the issue to the fore again,” he noted
-Sun News
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