The police’s anti-kidnapping unit, in the early hours of Thursday, rescued a 24-year-old man who climbed the 60-feet floodlights holder at the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar, to ‘protest’ its dilapidated state.
Kingsley Effiom Paul had at about 6:00 am climbed to the top of the floodlights to protest dilapidated basic facilities at the stadium.
The incident led to gridlock along the Muritala Mohammed Highway, causing commuters to use other routes.
Abdulhameed Awodi, who is commander of the police unit that intervened at the scene, and his men were able to restore calm after his men climbed the facility and brought the lone protester down safely.
“We got reports about a man who had climbed the stadium floodlights in the early hours, so, the tactical team (Dragon Squad) commander, Awodi, dispatched his men to rescue the young man,” Vanguard quoted state police spokesperson Irene Ugbo to have said.
“Initially, the public thought it was a suicide attempt. But upon interrogating the lad, we discovered he climbed the floodlights to protest as well as draw the attention of the Cross River State Government to the dilapidated state of the stadium.
“He said that he was a sports lover and wasn’t happy about the way a lot of the facilities within and around the stadium had been abandoned to rot away.
“We will further profile him to know if there was a hidden intention because we won’t tolerate any kind of agitation that may lead to a second EndSARS protest,” she said.
The 24-year-old 400-level student of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Kingsley Effiom Paul, said he was moved by the Spirit of God to climb the floodlights as a protest, adding that he was neither a thief nor planning to kill himself.
“I was moved by the Spirit of God to climb the floodlights in the stadium to draw attention to the dilapidated basic facilities in the place. I am not a thief. I didn’t even climb the place with any tool whatsoever,” he said.
“I didn’t also attempt suicide. I’m a student of philosophy at the University of Calabar, 400-level. I have no reason to want to kill myself. So, my intention was simply to create awareness and draw the government’s attention to the plight of the stadium.
“I’m aware that there were some renovations of the swimming pool and basketball court. But a lot of other athletes are suffering because the track and the pitch have really gone bad.
“I just wanted the government to do something about it and I believe my mode of protest will give the place the much-needed attention,” he said.
