“Nigerian military will not condone violence in the name of protest” -DHQ

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has issued a stern warning, stating that the Nigerian military will not tolerate any attempts to incite anarchy under the guise of a nationwide protest.

This was announced by Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, during a press conference on Thursday.

Certain groups and individuals had been mobilising for nationwide protests scheduled for August 1 in response to the economic hardship in the country.

Buba highlighted concerns about the motivations behind the planned protest, drawing parallels to recent events in Kenya. “I will say that the contemporary context of this planned protest is to shadow what is happening in Kenya,” Buba stated. He emphasized that a similar situation in Kenya has been marked by violence and remains unresolved.

“The situation in Kenya serves as a cautionary example,” Buba added. “We will not allow similar circumstances to unfold in Nigeria.”

The DHQ’s statement underscores the military’s commitment to maintaining order and preventing any form of violence that could disrupt the nation’s stability.

Nigerians have called for protest against the current administration

In response, the Federal Government has assured that the issues prompting the proposed nationwide protest will be resolved to ensure peace and stability in the country.

He said, “We have discussed issues of national interest and all of us are working for Nigeria and we hope and believe that Nigeria is going to be great again.

“The planned protest is a family matter. All issues will be resolved in a way to ensures the peace and stability of the country. No one is going to sleep. Those who are agitating and asking for protests are Nigerians, they are our brothers, they are our sisters, they are all Nigerians and those in positions of authority; the ministers, the President, everybody, we are all Nigerians too.

So, this is a family matter. This is a Nigerian family issue and all of us are looking at this issue very well and we hope that peace will prevail at the end of the day.”

The UN warns against protest

In a threat and risk assessment finding dated July 19, the UN expressed concerns about the possibility of violence, citing past instances where similar protests in Nigeria escalated.

As the turnout for the ’10 days of rage’ is expected to be high, large-scale disruptions to normal economic and social activities cannot be discounted.”

The threat assessment also showed that confrontations between groups supporting the government and those disagreeing with its policies cannot be ruled out from the end of July towards August 10-15.