Police takes over APC National Secretariat in Abuja

The operatives of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday besieged the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), located on No.40 Blantyre Street, Wuse 2, Abuja to forestall any attack on the Mai-Mala Buni-led Caretaker Committee of the ruling party.

APC is gradually drifting to another round of leadership crisis with unending calls for the resignation of the Yobe State governor, as the Caretaker Committee chairman for alleged perpetuity and potential legal tussles.

Apparently acting on a security tip-off, five truck-loads of police officers were deployed to the APC national headquarters to foil alleged planned protests and attacks by yet-to-be identified groups.

The trigger-happy and battle-ready police operatives cordoned off the stretch of the ever busy Blantyre Street where the APC secretariat is situated for several hours, causing pandemonium for staff, journalists and other early visitors.

Briefing journalists on the development, the APC Caretaker Committee secretary, John-James Akpanudoedehe said the presence of the police at the secretariat was to strengthen the leadership of Buni as the Caretaker chair.

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Akpanudoedehe said the party called for more deployment of police to the secretariat to protect lives and property, following a security report available to the leadership.

“APC cannot be embarrassed because this is a national government; therefore, we take measures to forestall any happening. We cannot underestimate the security report; we cannot play down on it. We have a security report, we can’t take laws into our hands, you can’t expect us to call thugs to defend the secretariat. The right thing to do is to inform the police and the DSS,” he said.

According to him, “We are going to take measures. Another measure we want to take is that if you don’t have your face mask, we are going to start testing people now because of the Delta variant. You will not be able to come to the secretariat. That doesn’t mean that the force has taken over the secretariat because of the extension of COVID-19. So, that is what it is. It is a measure to protect lives and property,” Akpanudoedehe.