The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has said the recent #EndSARS protest in Nigeria was aimed at removing President Muhammadu Buhari from office.
Mr Adamu made the claim, Tuesday, in Port Harcourt, during a meeting between the leaders of the South-south region and a delegation from Nigeria’s presidency, according to a press statement from the Rivers State Government House.
“Adamu alleged that intelligence has confirmed that the EndSARS protest was funded from within and outside the country,” said the statement issued by Governor Nyesom Wike’s media aide, Kelvin Ebiri.
“He further added that one of the primary objectives of the protest was to effect a regime change,” the statement said.
The police chief said fake news gave “impetus” to the protests which lasted for days.
Contrary to Mr Adamu’s claim, the young men and women who participated in the historic protest mainly demanded an end to police brutality in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s human rights record has greatly deteriorated since President Buhari was re-elected in 2015.
In a meeting, earlier in November, where the police chief, Mr Adamu was in attendance, governors from northern Nigeria had made a similar claim that the #EndSARS protesters wanted a “regime change”.
The northern governors, whose communique was read by their chairman, Simon Lalong, the governor of Plateau State, said “uncontrolled social media” helped in spreading fake news and had fueled the protest.
About The Author
