Fact-check: Did Hunger Protesters Wreck Wike’s Port Harcourt Home?
Rumors are circulating that the private residence of Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was attacked by protesters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Online media reports claim that protesters stormed the residence and attempted to loot the property.
According to the reports, tensions escalated when #EndBadGovernance protesters besieged a mansion in Ada George, Ohio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state, owned by Nyesom Wike, a former governor of the state and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
The protesters were demanding a leaner government, a return to the petrol subsidy regime, food security, fiscal discipline, and other reforms. However, in some parts of the country, the protests have regrettably led to widespread looting and vandalism of both private and public property
Meanwhile, PRNigeria fact-check team conducted a keyword search and discovered that some online media outlets had that the protesters attacked the private residence of the FCT Minister.
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PRNigeria fact-check team investigated the report that protesters attacked the FCT Minister’s residence and found that the Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers state, Grace Iringe-Koko has put out a disclaimer, “I’m not aware of such incident. I’m very sure that nothing like that happened,” she said.
The National Coordinator of Center for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, Prince Wiro, also dismissed the rumor, stating, ‘That information is not correct. The protesters stopped at the right lane of the road, recited the former national anthem, and raised green leaves to the sky with excitement. They did not attempt to gain access to the premises due to the heavy police presence.’
Additional probing revealed that the protesters were merely announcing their presence and did not engage in any violent or destructive behavior. Prince Wiro therefore cautioned bloggers and social media platform owners should be careful with the kind of information they push out for public consumption, especially during sensitive times like this.
Conclusion
Findings reveals that the protesters did not attack the minister’s residence as widely claimed, PRNigeria therefore concludes that the claims regarding the attack on the private residence of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike by EndBadGovernance protesters is false.
