TheCable

The Niger Delta Youths Coalition for Peace and Progress has blamed the federal government for the robbery at the Abuja residence of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Some policemen guiding the house were accused of stripping it bare. They were arrested in July and charged to court.

Four officers were subsequently dismissed from the force.

But at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, Olayinka Teidor, president of the Niger Delta group, said the federal government believed a large amount of money was hidden in the house situated in the Gwarimpa part of the federal capital territory (FCT).

He said the robbery was an indirect way to search the house.

Teidor called on President Muhammadu Buhari to speak on the alleged harassment, failure of which the group would be “forced to seek the option” of protecting the lives and property of Jonathan and his family members.

He requested that all the items carted away from the house should be returned with immediate effect, while those behind the raid should be publicly prosecuted.

“We strongly believe the federal government is involved because agencies of government are involved. Where are security men drafted to provide security to the property?” he asked.

“For God’s sake, he is not an ordinary citizen, he is the immediate past president. He and his wife are former first family, if this can happen to them, it means we are not safe in the Niger Delta.

“We are aggrieved and pained, and calling on the federal government to make sure that this matter is not swept under the carpet. He is a public figure so the investigations ought to be made public so that Nigerians will know.”

Teidor said going by media reports, those involved in raiding Jonathan’s house had been apprehended and being prosecuted, but wondered why the items that were carted away had not been made public.

“They should make public the things recovered and how the matter is being treated,” he said.

“We are very pained. The Niger Delta is still being marginalised, the road from Edo to Kogi state is deplorable. All those things are making us to be angry and now they are maltreating the former first family from the Niger Delta.

“We are calling on the federal government led by President Buhari to step in. We want the federal government to release every fund ceased from the former first family especially that of former First Lady Patience Jonathan.

“She is not the only former first lady, there is obvious connivance in this administration. For God’s sake, she has not held any appointment.

“She was a former deputy governor’s wife, former acting governor’s wife, former governor’s wife, former vice president’s wife, former acting president’s wife and former president’s wife

“In all these period she will enjoy some patronage and good will from the people from Nigeria and other parts of the world.

“She is a grassroots person, she is also a business woman. For Christ sake, we have seen former first families opening universities here and outside this country. We have seen where former public officers are investing their loot outside this country.

“But this is a lady who is living here, she has not run away, she is providing jobs for people. This is the same person they are subjecting to this kind of treatment and we feel pained and threatened.

“The Niger Delta is aggrieved and we are calling on the federal government to step into this matter and hands off all the property belonging to the former first families and to protect their property and business concerns.

“Please, we want to see fairness. Nigeria is passing through turbulent times, we are all aware of what is happening in the south east.

“This is not hate speech this is hate personified being directed to a region. If they are doing this to the most prominent person from the region by extension you are doing it to the entire Niger Delta. We are pained.”