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Ahead of the planned nationwide protest over economic hardship in the country, the military has warned organisers of the protest against any form of violence.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday warned that the military won’t allow anarchy to befall Nigeria.
He hinted that organisers of the planned protest intend to replicate the recent protest-turn-anarchy demonstration in the East African country Kenya.
General Buba said although citizens have a right to ventilate their grievances, the military won’t condone any form of violent gatherings or protests.
He added that the military has uncovered plots by unscrupulous elements to hijack the protest and turn it into a violent one by attacking innocent Nigerians and their businesses.
“While citizens have the right to peaceful protest, they do not have the right to mobilise for anarchy and unleash terror.
“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,” he said.
“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 some people fantasise about war thinking that it is like seeing movies but can’t fathom the destructions that come with war.
The police had also warned against violent protests come next month.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, governors and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have appealed to Nigerians to shelve the planned ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest slated for next month.
The protest against economic hardship, which is gaining traction on social media, has been scheduled to be held across all states of the Federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in August. The organisers of the protest have been faceless.
Prices of food and basic commodities have gone through the roof in the last months, as Nigerians battle one of the country’s worst inflation and economic crisis sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of forex windows.
