The Defence Headquarters, Abuja has said that the proposed nationwide protest is uncalled for.
It said the demonstration is intended to replicate what happened in the East African country of Kenya.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, said based on intelligence at its disposal, the proposed nationwide protest would be hijacked by some unscrupulous elements.
“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.
“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.”
“The aim of the protest is to show you what is happening in Kenya. And I would add that what is happening in Kenya in terms of the protest, one, is violence. Two, it remains unresolved as we speak now,” he said.
“So did you see from that? Based on what has been gathered, there are plans by some unscrupulous elements to hijack this protest and make sure that it turns violent. When it turns violent, I want to tell you what we have seen as it would likely happen. Indeed, we need to count our blessings.”
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