The Federal Government has said it cannot intervene in a dispute involving protesting families in Ebonyi State, noting that the matter is currently before the courts and falls under state jurisdiction.
A statement from the ministry said, “When the matter is in court, nobody has the right to do anything. Last time when they came, we asked who their leaders were, and they said they don’t have any. You cannot conduct a protest without a leader, and any action should be backed by a police report, as this is a state issue, not a federal one.”
Despite the explanation, the protesting families insisted that the Federal Government must step in, citing the involvement of international financing and public infrastructure development in the project.
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The protests follow a period of heightened security challenges in the country, including kidnappings and attacks on public infrastructure. Security data indicate that 2021 saw one of the highest levels of kidnapping nationwide, with thousands of people abducted amid rising criminal activity and limited security coverage in many regions.
According to the Nigeria Security Tracker, at least 2,944 people were kidnapped across Nigeria between January and June 2021 alone, underscoring the scale of the crisis during that period.