Akwa Ibom: Security operatives disperse protesting youths with teargas

Some youths protesting the non-payment of their five per cent of the 13 per cent oil derivation received by the Akwa Ibom State Government have been dispelled by a combined team of the Police, Army and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) with teargas.

The protesting youths comprised men and women under the auspices of the Ibom Youths Council (IYC) and had to run for safety into adjourning streets and Ibom Plaza when they were teargassed.

Dressed in black and white and holding a red and black flag, the youths stormed the Government House, along Wellington Bassey Way, Uyo, in their hundreds on Tuesday, demanding their share of the allocation.

Comrade Victor Bassey James, the Secretary of the Niger Delta Movement, who spoke with journalists about their grievances, said they had come out to ensure the governor looked into the matter.

“We have suffered a lot; our youths have not been empowered. That is why we’ve come en masse to make sure that the governor looks into our matter,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Police Commissioner, Olatoye Durosinmi, addressed the protesters alongside the Commander of the 2 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, his NSCDC counterpart and the Commissioner of Internal Security.

He appealed for calm and urged them to return home, assuring that the State Governor would address their grievances at the appropriate time.