Just like the Nigeria Police force, the Nigerian military has also joined other state actors to threaten organisers of the nationwide protest scheduled for the first week of August this year.
“The Armed Forces on its part will not stand by and allow anarchy to befall our nation,” a Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, said at a media briefing in Abuja, on Thursday, July 25.
“While citizens have the right to peaceful protest, they do not have the right to mobilise for anarchy and unleash terror,” Buba added, noting that “The level of violence being envisaged can only be described as a stage for anarchy.”
According to him, organisers of the planned protest intend to replicate the recent protest demonstration in Kenya, which led to deaths, destruction and drastic actions from the country’s president.
Recall that, Kenyan President, William Ruto fired his entire cabinet including the attorney general on Thursday, July 11, after weeks of intense protests by Kenyans against the controversial Finance Bill which the citizens believed would hike taxes and worsen the already harsh economic realities.
The protest also led to the President refusing to sign the Financial Bill into law, while he also promised to further consult with various stakeholders and political groups to form a broad-based government focused on implementing radical programmes to address debt, increase domestic resources, and expand job opportunities, among others.
Meanwhile, Buba, a military general, said although citizens had a right to express their grievances, the military won’t condone any form of violent gatherings or protests.
He further noted that the military had uncovered plots by unscrupulous elements to hijack the protest and turn it into a violent one by attacking innocent Nigerians and their businesses.
“It is easy to see that the contemporary context of the planned protest is to shadow the outrage in Kenya which I must say is violent and remains unresolved. The level of violence being envisaged can only be described as a stage for anarchy.
“The Armed Forces on its part will not stand by and allow anarchy to befall our nation. This is because we have seen wars and have witnessed anarchy in countries with which we have operated, particularly in times of ECOMOG (Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group) and during our peacekeeping operations in various countries,” he said.
He stated that some people fantasised war, imagining it to be like watching movies, without understanding the devastation that accompanies it.
This declaration came amid growing hardships across the nation as many Nigerians plan to take to the streets to protest and compel President Tinubu’s government to take drastic measures to alleviate their pains.
The military’s stance aligns with the positions of a few other state actors, including the presidency and the police, who have also issued stern warnings against any protest.
The Inspector General of Police, on Tuesday, July 23, expressed similar sentiments, warning that “some groups of people, self-appointed crusaders and influencers, have been strategising and mobilising potential protesters to unleash terror in the land under the guise of replicating the recent Kenya protests,” he said.
The ICIR reports that some Nigerians, along with a group led by former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, have been mobilising for nationwide protests scheduled for the first week of August.
The posts and tweets on the protest carry different hashtags, ranging from #RevolutionNow, #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, #TakeItBack, #DaysofRage and #TinubuMustGo.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress had warned the Nigerian government against engaging in a “war-war” situation with Nigerians by trying to suppress citizens’ fundamental right to protest.