Plans by Support Groups sympathetic to the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to stage massive protests which may turn out to be violent have been uncovered.
Dependable sources privy to the meeting organised by the duo of Toochukwu Ohazuruike and Godwin Meliga at Rockview Hotel, Abuja late Monday night disclosed that the protests are targeted at the DG of DSS.
The source stated that “at the end of the meeting, it was resolved that the next protest starting from Wednesday 21st December will be massive and mother of all protests”. He went further to say that, “through out this week, we agreed to protest from Wednesday till Friday. We are ready to protest on Friday. We want those going for Jumat to join us. It is a Bichi Must Go protest”.
The meeting, among others, allegedly affirmed to stage the protests in Abuja and other select cities such as Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Ababa, Lagos and Kano all in a bid to show solidarity for Emefiele and his monetary policies at the CBN. Some of those that attended the meeting also disclosed that it was suggested that the protesters would present a picture of support for the President and March to the Ministry of Justice, OSGF and other strategic public offices calling for the removal of the DG DSS, Alhaji Yusuf Bichi.
Furthermore, the planners agreed to use the hurriedly organised Coalition of National Interest Defenders, CNID, a group of self acclaimed activists cutting across tribal and professional groups to carry put the protests. Sources at the CAC have confirmed that CNID is unregistered and therefore not a corporate body. However, the planners are reaching out to many groups in order to make the situation very tense for possible breakdown of law and order.
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While the meeting was said to have agreed to contact Imo Ugochinyere Ikenga alleged to be the central coordinator of the protests, close sources revealed that Ikenga is a close ally of Emefiele who he (Ikenga) had helped to organise similar support protests in the past. There indications that when the group reached to Ikenga he promised to get to them after he had concluded arrangements with a supposed sponsor alleged to be Emefiele.
Instrustively, Emefiele is said to have strong contacts with the civil society organisations many of who he paid to organise rallies during his botched presidential aspiration.
The CSO sources confirmed to our correspondents that the groups were heavily mobilised by fronts working for Emefiele for the international press conference that held on Monday, 19th December. One of such persons noted that, “our people were well sorted out. We will show them pepper. We will take the fight to them”. It was disclosed that those working for Emefiele are young and energetic polititicians some of whom are from the PDP. For instance, Imo Ikenga and Godwin Meliga are seeking election to the Houses of Representatives and Assembly in Imo and Kogi States respectively. Meliga was noted to have expressed interest in working for Emefiele so he could deploy his proceeds to his election funding.
It would be recalled that Abuja was on Monday, 19th December rocked by protests staged by a coalition of groups that accused the DSS of instituting a court case against the CBN Governor over allegations of terrorism financing. The Coalition held a press conference during which it called for sack of the agency’s Director General.
