Security was beefed up in major towns in Delta State on Thursday following alleged planned protests against the arrest of the immediate past governor of the state, Chief James Ibori on Wednesday by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja .
A security officer told the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday that intelligence report indicated that some of the politicians that benefited from the embattled governor�s administration were planning to sponsor some youths to protest the arrest in Asaba, Ughelli, Oghara, Warri and environs.
He said the intention of the politicians was to give an impression that Chief Ibori was still popular despite his travails, noting that a similar exercise was carried out in Warri and Oghara on Wednesday but were foiled by security agents.
�Yes, we got security report that some of the politicians in the state were planning to sponsor some protests in some major towns in the state but we have put our men on the alert to match them,� the source said.
Nigerian Tribune observed that fierce looking soldiers from the Joint Task Force (JTF) and policemen were put at strategic places in Warri and Oghara while plain cloth security agents were moving round the town on intelligence gathering.
Some youth groups allegedly sponsored by some politicians were issuing press statements condemning the arrest of Chief Ibori on the premise that it was a selective action by the anti-corruption agency.
For instance, the National Association of Nigeria Students, Urhobo Youths Assembly and National Association of Delta State Students, in separate press releases issued in Warri on Wednesday described the arrest of the former governor as biased.
Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Banawi Ishaku, said he could not immediately confirm the number of arrests made during last Wednesday�s protest but that the state police command was prepared to foil any attempt to cause trouble in the state.
Dec142007