There is heavy security presence at the gates of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Our correspondent witnessed the deployment of a large number of security personnel, including police, soldiers, and DSS operatives, at the two main gates leading to the villa in Asokoro district.
This is, ostensibly, to ward off the daring protesters from infiltrating the seat of power in Abuja.
The security personnel were seen checking commuters and vehicles accessing the area, particularly at the entrance close to the Fire Service and Supreme Court gates.
This heightened security presence comes amid reports of tension in the Jikwoyi-Kurudu axis of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a related incident, a Vanguard Newspapers Villa Correspondent, JohnBosco Agbakwuru, was accosted by protesting youths chanting “baamuayi” (meaning “we are no longer interested”) on his way to the villa via the Kubuwa – AYA expressway. His phone was snatched, and he was forced to pay N5,000 to get it back.
Similarly, Shola Ojolo, a Silverbird Television Cameraman for the Villa, encountered the protesting youths on the Nyanya-Abacha barracks road, where they jumped on his car and sat on the bonnet. However, a team of military personnel barricaded the Abacha Barracks under bridge and forced the protesters to turn back.