Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has stated that people are being slaughtered daily across Nigeria because the Federal Government does not care about the protection of lives and property.
He spoke in a reaction to a statement credited to the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed over the governor’s claim that there was a plot by the Federal Government to assassinate him.
Wike said it is unfortunate that the Federal Government will trivialize an issue of such sensitive nature instead of investigating the claim.
“They don’t care about the issue of the protection of lives and property. That is why people are killed in their numbers every day.
“But I will not be slaughtered easily. They will not succeed in their plot,” Wike said.
He said that there are laid down constitutional processes of handling ‘weighty issues’ like the allegation he raised, pointing out that it is unfortunate that the Federal Government has deliberately refused to follow the constitutional path.
Wike had in an earlier chat with journalists insisted the alarm he raised about plot to assassinate him is true because he got the information through intelligence report.
The governor who said he never expected the Federal Government to own up when he leaked assassination attempt, however blamed those he described as “desperate Politicians who will stop at nothing to grab power” in Rivers state for the pan.
“I have intelligence at my disposal that inform me ahead before it happens. I am telling you that the threat to my life is real and correct. Obviously, the Federal Government will deny it.”
He said he cannot keep quiet when with the intelligence report that his life is in danger.
Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity had debunked the allegation on Sunday.
According to, “We live in this country and we know things that have been happening in Rivers State since 2015. The level of violence in that state has been incomparable to any other.
“Yes, there are security challenges all over the country, but you know that some things are peculiar about Rivers State. So, if a Governor continues to talks about an assassination, perhaps he is using his own standard to judge other people, but if he is accusing the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, he should forget it,” Adesina said.
Wike had raised alarm of alleged plans to assassinate him in a crowded environment.
The governor said security reports available to him indicated the said killing is to be blamed on an accidental discharge.
He first raised the alarm during a church service in Rivers state on Sunday and repeated the same claim on Monday on Channels Television Breakfast Programme, Sunrise Daily and restated the allegation during a chat with journalists.
Wike said “I want to repeat what I said that the Federal Government is plotting to assassinate me, and that assassination will be carried out in a crowd and then it will be seen as if it is an accidental discharge,” Wike repeated on Tuesday.