Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, says criminals who refuse to repent will be “buried like vultures”.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony for the construction of the Ahoada campus of the Rivers State University (RSU) on Wednesday, the governor expressed anger over the recent attacks in the state, adding that such criminality will not be condoned.
The governor, who cited a reference to members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), warned youths in the area not to be deceived by fortification of traditional medicine practitioners.
“If you know you’re the highest criminal that can kill, don’t worry. If any juju man in Ahoada tells you bullet will not enter, don’t worry. Time hasn’t come. Time will come when the bullet will enter,” he said,
“If any of these juju Ahoada people is promising you ‘shoot me’, don’t ever make that mistake. Tell the man doing the juju to test his child first. If he does and it works, then you can tell him to shoot you. But luck isn’t the same.
“Whether you’re my in-law, you die. Whether you’re the one who gave me votes to win, to hell with your votes. We will never condone criminality. So, anybody who thinks that this university and Ahoada will not grow, because you think you can hold anybody to ransom, your time has come. And you will die. In fact, a fowl will be better than you.
“When people say ‘IPOB, they’re carrying juju,’ no problem. That’s what you say. But what’s happening? Are they not dying? Let nobody deceive you with juju.
“Take today, all of you criminals who are here, 2nd of June, 2021, and repent. If you don’t repent, the period has come. You’ll die. Your parents will not bury you. We’ll bury you like vultures. Either your hand will be cut off, or they’ll blow your heads off. Your parents won’t even know you’re dead.”
An excerpt of the video clip, which is trending on social media, has has sparked mixed reactions.
While some users have argued that Wike’s position doesn’t seem different from the shoot-at-sight order issued by President Muhammadu Buhari against persons found with AK-47 rifles, some others insist that the governor’s statement was out of line in terms of prosecuting criminals.