The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Commissioner (CP) Benneth Igweh has pleaded with residents of the city not to join the planned nationwide strike being planned for August.
How plea is coming against the backdrop of hardship protests being planned mostly by youth who are decrying creeping poverty, unemployment and hardship in the country.
CP Igweh while expressing his concerns said embarking on a protest, particularly within the FCT, could incite unforeseen incidents capable of destroying the existing peace in the capital city.
The CP who made this plea while briefing the press on Monday, at the command in Abuja said, “I want to appeal specifically to the residents and indigenes and everyone that is in FCT, please lions do not destroy their dens. You cannot see a lion who destroys its den.
“I would not like you to join this protest, I plead with you because we have toiled and suffered to ensure your safety.
“You have fought those people outside Abuja; we have been to Kaduna to fight them; we have been to Nasarawa to fight them. We have been to Kogi to fight them. We have been Niger to fight them so that you can be safe.
“This is why I have lost men. Last week alone, in Gidan Dogo I lost two policemen. The other day, I lost two again. Let our loss pay for the protest. I want to plead with you.
“We do not need you to be in the street before someone will say, they are trying the police’ might or you will say Igweh did this, Igwe did that.
“Please, please, do not destroy where you are living. If you check, the government has provided good roads whether from the Minister of FCT or from the president, check the roads in the FCT, from Wuse to anywhere you can check, even in the hinterlands, they are trying their best, I do not need to talk for anybody but I am saying it because we have been in the FCT, we know when there are changes.
“There are changes now in FCT, and we do not want miscreants to come outside from FCT to come and start destroying them.
“We will go back to square one, where we were before. I plead, I beg of you, do not join this protest. Let us continue collectively to make FCT safe. Let them go and do what they want to do, but not with us.
“Act maturely, act like people who appreciate it. Even the loss we have been losing to ensure your safety, use it to appreciate us. If you give it to us, we will be happy and provide security for you.”