The Kebbi State Governor, Comrade Nasir Idris, has issued a strong warning to those attempting to import miscreants into Kebbi to cause mayhem.
Idris gave the warning in a broadcast to the people of the state on Friday in reaction to the first day of the protest.
The governor said: “Information available to us states that some people are trying to import miscreants from other places into Kebbi to cause mayhem, especially in Birnin Kebbi, Argungu, Jega, Yauri, and Zuru town.
“Whosoever knows the people of Kebbi State knows that they are people who always respect the laws of the land, and protesting is not in our character, but some people want to import it by force to achieve their personal aggrandizement.”
Idris, however, said that as a responsible government, they will not allow people who do not have the interests of the people at heart to use the protest for vandalism of public utilities, shops, and other property.
“Available information states that some people want to go to the water board to perfect their vandalism mission, but it baffles me to hear that they are targeting the water board. What do they want at a place that serves the general public water?
“This is a clear indication that some bad elements want to use the protest to undermine the peace the people of Kebbi are enjoying,” the governor noted.
He appealed to the protesters to see reason in keeping the state in peace and to shelve the protest in the interest of peace and progress in Kebbi.
“If you destroy public utilities, they belong to the people of Kebbi. If you destroy people’s shops and steal their property, it is the same people of Kebbi who will suffer,” Idris said.
He, however, said his government was doing everything possible to address the plights of the people of Kebbi.
“Therefore, we want to plead with the organisers of this protest to see reason in putting an end to it. They only know the beginning but they won’t know its end.
“If you have a good motive behind the protest, some people may have ill motives, and anything destroyed in the course of the protest in Kebbi is to the disadvantage of the people of Kebbi.”
He added that credible information available to the government revealed that the protesters would also destroy the solar street lights, lamenting what benefit it would be to the protesters.
