The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has alleged that N9 billion was channelled to incite unrest during the #EndBadGovernance protests.
Spokesperson of the NPC, Muyiwa Adejobi, revealed this on Wednesday at the Civil Space Guard Conference held in Abuja, organised by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ).
The event, which was themed ‘AI, Free Press & Civil Space: Tools, Challenges and Future of Investigative Reporting’, brought together stakeholders on issues of civil engagement and media freedom.
Addressing attendees, Adejobi recalled that ahead of the #EndBadGovernance protests, the police had cautioned that foreign mercenaries were likely to infiltrate the demonstration to trigger violence.
However, he noted that due to a prevalent trust deficit, many Nigerians disregarded these warnings. According to Adejobi, the police “intercepted” communications indicating that individuals were deliberately “planted” to instigate violence during the August protests.
He further recounted how intelligence led the police to track down Andrew Wynne, a British national, to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) headquarters in Abuja.
Adejobi explained, “People were trying to protest and express their feelings to the government. Some people were trying to capitalise on that to get money. They actually got money — we are talking about N9 billion.”
Adding, he remarked, “I’m sure you are not aware that somebody got money. Because of that protest alone, people realised N9 billion and they actually disbursed the money to cause chaos in Nigeria.”
In response to these events, the spokesperson said the NPF is now providing training in media literacy, civic engagement, and behavioural change to 10,000 recruits, aiming to foster better community relations and counter disinformation.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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