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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has warned that it would not condone anarchy in the guise of a nationwide protest.
Addressing the media during a press briefing on Thursday, DHQ’s director of defence operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, said the “contemporary context” of the planned protest in Nigeria is to “shadow what is happening in Kenya.”
Buba said although citizens have the right to peaceful protests as enshrined in the constitution, they do not have the “rights to mobilise for anarchy and unleash terror.”
The defence spokesperson said the military has “detected plans by some unscrupulous elements to hijack the protest and perpetrate violence.”
“I will say that the contemporary context of this planned protest is to shadow what is happening in Kenya and I will add that what is happening in Kenya in terms of protest, one, it is violence, two, it remains unresolved as we speak.
“Already, we have detected some unscrupulous elements bent on hijacking the planned protest with the aim of making it violent. Many are therefore following in ignorance,” he said.
Biba added that the level of violence “being envisaged” during the planned protest can only be described as a “state of anarchy.”
“The armed forces, on its part, would not stand by and allow anarchy to befall our nation. This is because we have seen and witnessed anarchy in countries we have operated,” he said.
There have been reports of a youth-led nationwide protest over the pervasive economic hardship.
The protest is billed to commence on August 1.
President Bola Tinubu has appealed to leaders of the protest to shelve the demonstration.
