The Presidency in Nigeria has alleged that  corrupt Nigerian politicians were the brains behind the ongoing protests in the United Kingdom against President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election bid.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, while reacting to the protest by a group of Nigerians outside the Nigeria House in London said the demonstrations were orchestrated by alleged looters and corrupt politicians who were bent on embarrassing the President as he prepares for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

“Corrupt Nigerians who are custodians of slush funds stolen from Nigeria, and hiding in UK or are resident cronies colluded with some elements to form a league of protesters with a singular aim of distracting and disorganizing the scheduled state visit of the President to England for bilateral talks with Prime Minister Theresa May and other dignitaries.

“Esteemed Nigerians home and abroad, friends and business investors in Nigeria, should please see through the veil of the motive behind the Abuja House, Kensington, London demonstration.

“It was an orchestrated act of desperation and a ploy to blackmail and hoodwink the President from concentrating on his anti-corruption campaign, which is fast gaining grounds locally and internationally.

“This unpatriotic act is not unconnected to the Federal Government policies to name and shame corrupt citizens and looters, to collate database of Nigerians with homes in UK who are not paying the right taxes, and the hot drive to prosecute all financial defaulters through bilateral and multilateral means.

“The protesters are said to have benchmarked their actions on local grievances and national challenges which the government is already tackling head on.

 

“Such issues include the herdsmen versus agrarian farmers clashes, fuel scarcity as well as the trumped up charge of hunger in the land at a time when prices of food items are beginning to drop and inflation is on the decrease,” Shehu said.

 

He added that the unfortunate event was a clear incidence of corruption fighting back as according to him, many beneficiaries of corruption and slush funds could not withstand the devastating blow of President Buhari’s anti-corruption sledge hammer.

According to security sources, the protesters who are aiming to humiliate President Buhari throughout his stay in the UK  have vowed to take their demonstrations to the venue of the CHOGM which President Buhari would be attending.