By Baron Ike
It took the intervention of security operatives attached to popular musician, Charley Boy (Charles Oputa) to escape the wrath of traders in the popular Wuse market in Abuja where he had gone to campaign against the continuing stay out of office by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Those who allegedly attacked Charley Boy were believed to be northern traders whose support for Buhari is irrevocable. They had queried Charley Boy’s effrontery in coming to Wuse of all places to seek that Buhari be asked to resign from office or resume.
Charley Boy and his group have been leading a campaign tagged #ResumeorResign, with the music maestro singing away “Ourmomudondo” wherever he goes.
The group has been involved in the protest since last week. The first day was peaceful, but on the second day they were attacked by the police until the police saw need to allow the group continue with their protest which was is violent.
“Charley Boy came to this market with some cameramen doing his protest here.
I was standing in front of my shop when I saw him running for his dear life, being chased by those youth,” a trader at the market said.
“They nearly lynched him, because those youth almost overpowered police security near him.”
The police fired teargas canisters at the surging mob that wanted to attack Charley Boy, making the situation calm. He reportedly fled the scene.
The police later removed his vehicle from the market, but the development caused panic in Wuse market as most of the traders vacated temporarily when the gates of the market were temporarily closed and manned by heavily armed security operatives after the incident.
Since Charley Boy and his group launched the protest, splinter groups in support of Buhari had sprang up, with both groups occasionally showing signs of clash.