WARNING!!! Military ‘ll Act If #EndBadGovernaceInNigeria Violent Protest Persist, Says General Christopher Musa—Disturbed by reports of vandalisation and looting of properties in some states, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, says the military will intervene if demonstrators continue acting violently in the ongoing nationwide #EndbadGovernance and hunger protests
Reacting to violent scenes that trailed the first day of protest which commenced on Thursday, 1st August, 2024, General Musa said the Military would be forced to take drastic action against recalcitrant members of the public bent on destroying public and private property.
He urged protesters to shun violence, noting that destruction is counter-productive and would only set the nation many years back.
The CDS, who gave the warming at a media briefing on Friday, however commended the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for its efforts in maintaining law and order across the country.
He cautioned that the Military would not hesitate to take appropriate steps if the violence persists in the ongoing protest, adding; “We should realise that these destructions and monies have to be used, monies for development will have to be used to develop these things so we can move forward.
“So, instead of doing that, we should come together to make sure nothing is destroyed. The statement has already been passed to the local, state, and federal governments.
“We want to warn those that are recalcitrant, those that don’t want to listen, that we will not fold our hands and see our country destroyed.
“We will take action, and the action that we’ll take will be professional. Anyone who is caught will be taken to the courts to be dealt with. Let us avoid anything that will bring mayhem within our communities.
“We have seen the level of destruction that has been carried out just yesterday, and so you can imagine if this continues for so long.
“The armed forces and the entire military security agencies will not stand by and see that to continue.”
This latest warning by the Military seems a confirmation of the position taken by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, who ahead of the planned protest, had suggested that there were plans to involve the Armed Forces if things get out of control.
The IGP had further suggested that soldiers will be asked to monitor public demonstrations if there are sufficient reasons to believe that what happened during the 2020 #EndSARS protests will reoccur.
Reports on Thursday confirmed fears of the protests being hijacked by hoodlums as scenes from Kano showed some protesters looting many shops as well as the newly built Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) Industrial Park, and setting parts of it ablaze.
According to competent sources, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre was scheduled for commissioning next week.
