“So, you think the federal government would want to kill you?” was the question, Cletus Ukpong, a reporter with Premium Times asked Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike in a recent interview, to which he responded, “it’s obvious”.
This is not the first time Wike has accused the federal government and security agencies of plotting to kill him.
In December 2016, the governor raised an alarm that the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, withdrew his Chief Security Officer (CSO) to perfect plans to assassinate him. While reacting to the withdrawal of his counterpart’s CSO, Ekiti Governor, Ayodele Fayose through his media aide, Lere Olayinka said the IGP’s decision was proof that the police was planning to kill Wike.
RELATED: Security agencies threaten to assassinate me – Wike
In January 2017, the Police dismissed six policemen attached to the governor for alleged misconducts during the Rivers legislative re-run election. Speaking on the officer’s dismissal, the Police spokesperson at the time, Don Awunah said, “These aforementioned police personnel while in the convoy of the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, on the date of election on December 10, 2016, misused the firearms in their possession contrary to the provisions of Force Order 237. The personnel became overzealous, took laws into their hands and opened fire, causing panic in the crowd.”
However, Wike said the dismissed officers were fired because they stopped security agencies from killing him. “The policemen were dismissed because they did not allow the security agencies to assassinate me as was planned,” the governor said, adding that “the security agencies planned to assassinate me, but those attached to me resisted the plot and refused to allow them kill me. That is why they are angry and desperate.”
In April 2017, the governor accused Zaki Ahmed, the state’s Police commissioner of being under instruction from Idris to kill him. “They said they were going to kill me,” Wike affirmed. “This police commissioner has an agenda; I can’t be deceived. I’m not saying he should go; let him stay. He has been given an assignment to kill me. No problem. No man dies two times.” The police, however, dismissed the governor’s claim as unfounded saying “there was no time, either recently or in the past, that the Inspector-General of Police gave an order or assignment to the Commissioner of Police of Rivers or any police officer anywhere in the country to kill His Excellency, Barrister Nyesom Wike.”
RELATED: How security agencies planned to assassinate me – Wike
Few weeks after the police debunked the Governor’s claims, Wike, while speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital reiterated that the IGP wants to kill him. The Rivers State Government also released a statement where it said the governor survived five assassination attempts in eleven months. The state’s Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr Austin Tam-George alleged that an offer of one hundred and fifty million Naira was made to two of the six dismissed police officers, to directly kill the governor, but that the officers declined the offer.
Fayose, his close friend and fellow PDP governor who has been a torn in the flesh of the president, the presidency and the APC has only accused the police of plotting to kill him once. While speaking at the PDP rally prior to the Ekiti governorship election, Fayose said the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of the Mobile Police was ordered to kill him. This accusation came after the governor accused policemen of teargassing and beating him.
RELATED: How Wike survived 5 assassination attempts in 11 months – Rivers govt
Wike’s continuous paranoia with the federal government and security agencies is worrisome and synonymous to that of Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) who has accused the police and Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello of plotting to assassinate him. It appears that the governor is doing this to curry sympathy from his followers.
Do you think that this apparent delusion of grandeur from Wike is any good?
Dolapo is a writer and journalist who works with YNaija. He has interests in Christianity, politics and sports.
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