Scores of youths attending an event organised by the Rotary Club with the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, were on Friday barred by policemen from inspecting some state projects in Port Harcourt.
The youths, who were about 600 in number, were said to be waiting for Government House buses to convey them from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology to some of the project sites before armed policemen stormed the place and stopped them from embarking on the planned inspection.
The students were from 11 states of the federation.
Continue after the break.
It was learnt that the youths, who were mainly students, were camped in some of the university’s hostels for a retreat organised by Rotary International, District 9140.
The police, according to sources, believed that the students were mobilised by the state government to protest against President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
It will be recalled that Amaechi criticised the failure of the Jonathan’s administration to complete the East-West Road during a retreat.
A youth, who was affected by the incident, recalled that the governor had on Thursday during the retreat promised to take them on an inspection tour.
The youth, who preferred not to be mentioned due to the sensitive nature of the incident, said about 10 patrol vans loaded with armed policemen stopped them from leaving the hostels.
“When the organisers of the retreat insisted on the motive for the obstruction, the policemen claimed that intelligence report revealed that they were going on a protest match against President Jonathan.
“The policemen who prevented them from leaving the campus for over one hour said the State Commissioner of Police instructed that none of the Rotarians and students should be allowed to exit the campus until he ascertained that the movement was not sinister and would not lead to a breakdown of law and order,” the youth, who is a student, added.
The policemen, according to sources, had insisted that the organisers signed an undertaken that they were not on a mission to protest over the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The State Police Public Relation Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, said she could not comment on the matter, adding that she was handing over to her successor.
Reacting to the incident, the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, described the action of the police as disturbing.
Semenitari maintained that the state government did not mobilise students or any person to protest against President Jonathan.
She pointed out that the plan was for the youths to accompany the governor on an inspection tour of projects across the state.
Meanwhile, the State Peoples Democratic Party has accused the the state government of mobilizing students to protest against the administration of President Jonathan.
The State Chairman of the party, Mr. Felix Obuah, said the party had uncovered plans by the state government to use students from secondary and tertiary institutions in the state on a demonstration to Government House, Port Harcourt.
Obuah said in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Jerry Needam, that the plan was for the students to condemn the leadership style and policies of President Jonathan.
The state PDP condemned the state government for allegely planning to cause disaffection and acrimony between the students and the President.
However, the Godspower Ake-led PDP described the statement credited to Needam and as another macabre dance, cheap blackmail and a show of defeatism.
“This political jobbers will stop at nothing to scuttle the peace effort of the President and our former leaders to put the party to its proper perspective for fear of staying away without job.
“As political jobbers, their ultimate interest is to continue to fan the embers of war as that will guarantee their continued stay at the state party secretariat as it enhances the destructive mandate of the Obuah faction.
“Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, CON, who also doubles as the Chairman, Nigerian Governors’ Forum, has invested heavily in education in state and his achievement in the free and compulsory child education in Rivers State is highly appreciated and acclaimed as the best.
“Therefore, he (Amaechi) cannot be seen impeding teaching and learning by calling our precious and highly priceless children for demonstrations. Very soon, Jerry (Needam) will tell Rivers people his child at home is sick because he saw our amiable Governor on television last night,” the statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of Ake-led PDP, Mr. George Ukwuoma-Nwogba, read.
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