N360m debt: Policeman beat up protesters in PDP secretariat

There was confusion at Wadata House, the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday in Abuja, as angry police officers, led by one Sergeant Reuben Onu, and a staff member of the party physically assaulted workers of Twinkles World Ltd, who were protesting against an unpaid debt, estimated at N360m.

The company was said to have handled the contract for the decoration of PDP presidential campaigns in all states of the federation in the last general elections.

During the protest, the Managing Director of the company, Mr. Tunde Agarawu, and Project Coordinator, Mr. Awonaiya Olayemi, were physically assaulted.

While the MD was slapped by Onu and an unidentified employee of PDP, Olayemi was pelted with sands on his head by same officer.

The police team later reinforced and came with many other police officers to battle the protesters numbering over 30.

But a police officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the MD was assaulted because he did not heed the advice to channel his grievances to Legacy House, which is the office of PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation.

The firm reiterated its decision to drag President Goodluck Jonathan and the party to court over the unpaid debt.

Already, the company said its lawyer had issued a seven-day ultimatum to PDPPCO to offset the debt or face action in court.

The protesters carried placards with inscriptions including ‘PDPPCO is owing us for the service we provided them’, ‘Prof. Jerry Gana, pay us our money now!’, ‘Dr. Ahmadu Ali, DG of PDPPCO, pay our money now’, ‘Mr. President, Prof. Jerry Gana is yet to pay Twinkle World Ltd.’ and ‘Nigerians: PDP is owing Twinkle World’.

Agarawu said since Jonathan lost the presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari, he and the PDP hierarchy, had failed to pay most debts incurred for the campaigns.