Thousands of youths in Ilorin, Kwara state on Thursday staged a peaceful protest against the deployment of Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, former chief security officer to the national leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the state police commissioner.
Egbetokun was among the 37 new commissioners of police announced by the acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu on Wednesday in Abuja.
The youths who came out as early as 9am on Thursday moved round major streets of Ilorin, the state capital to express their dissatisfaction over the deployment of Egbetokun to the state as the police commissioner.
The youths were seen carrying placards with various inscriptions like, “Kwarans Totally Reject an APC Commissioner of Police”, “CP Kayode Egbetokun Must Go”, “Cabal Cannot Succeed in Kwara”, “The IGP Must Save Kwarans from Intimidation and Harassment of Opposition”, among others .
The youths however moved to the state headquarters of Department of State Security Service (DSS), the state police command and later at the Government House, Ilorin.
Speaking with journalists on the protest, the spokesperson of the youths who is also the PDP youth leader in the state, Mr. Haliru Dansofo berated the federal government for allegedly trying to cause confusion in the state with all intent to use intimidation and coercion to wrestle power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state.
According to him, “It is disheartening that Egbetokun who was a former chief security officer of a national leader of APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu can be deployed to Kwara state to supervise election so as to pave way for APC electoral success during the forthcoming general elections.
“You will also recall that this Egbetokun was earlier deployed to Lagos before the acting IGP Adamu reversed the exercise and why is he now being transferred to Kwara state?
“We all know that his deployment to Kwara is for a specific purpose because the national chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomohle and other chieftains of APC have been threatening to wrestle power from the PDP and with the deployment of a former CSO to a leader of APC as commissioner of police in Kwara really shows their threat is fully completed.
“We want to tell the whole country and international community that the Nigeria Police Force is really planning confusion in this election and we appeal for immediate reversal of the deployment.
“Kwara is being known for peace since the enthronement of democracy since 1999 till date and with the current situation in Kwara state over the deployment of Mr. Egbetokun as police commissioner, they are allegedly planning to cause crisis in the state ahead of the elections.
“We therefore appeal to the acting IGP Adamu to immediately look into the deployment of Mr. Egbetokun and move him to another state in order to maintain the current peace and harmony being enjoyed in Kwara state now and after the polls”.
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