…”We won’t condone anarchy in guise of protest” – Army
The Department of State Services (DSS) has warned against the planned nationwide protest against hardship in the country.
In a press statement signed by the Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Dr. Peter Afunanya, made available to newsmen yesterday, the agency said it had already identified the sponsors of the planned protest and warned them not to proceed with it as it is not in Nigeria’s interest.
The security outfit warned that it had intelligence that the planned protest would be hijacked by hoodlums to cause chaos and extreme violence in the country. The statement alleged that the goal of the planners is to cause regime change, especially at the centre.
Part of the statement read in part: “The DSS has followed the discourse on planned protests in parts of the country in the coming weeks by persons and groups yet to identify themselves in the public as leaders of the plot.
“While peaceful protest is a democratic right of citizens, the Service has confirmed a sinister plan by some elements to infiltrate the protest and use it to cause chaos and extreme violence in the land. It has also identified the reason behind the protest to be political. The plotters desire to use the intended violent outcome to smear the federal and sub-national governments; make them unpopular and pit them against the masses. The long term objective is to achieve a regime change especially at the Centre.
“The Service has also identified, among others, the funding lines, sponsors and collaborators of the plot. “However, it does not think that aggression should be the first line action in the instance, in handling the emerging scenario. It has instead, variously applied non-kinetic and conflict resolution strategies, including moral suasion, stakeholder engagement and other multi-track diplomatic shuttles to dissuade the planners from actualising their undesirable objective.
“Based on the foregoing, the Service wishes to warn all the protest groups to eschew any form of proposed rage, anarchy and spoliation.
“The Service calls on people of goodwill, leaders of thought, captains of industry, labour unions, student associations, youth leaders, the civil society, clergy, NGOs, women groups, civil servants and politicians to shun any invitation to participate in any orchestrated violence, deliberately designed to cause disaffection in the country.
“Similarly, parents, guardians, heads of traditional and academic institutions are respectively urged to advise their children, wards, subjects and students not to take part in the planned protest. Let us all join hands to build a nation without rancour, bitterness or stained banner.
“The Service will work with other sister security and law enforcement agencies to maintain peace. It will, where necessary, apply all legitimate methods to achieve this,” the DSS said.
In the same vein, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has warned that it would not condone anarchy in the guise of a nationwide protest.
Speaking during a press conference yesterday, Edward Buba, Director of Defence, Media operations, Edward Buba, said the “contemporary context” of the planned protest in Nigeria is to “shadow what is happening in Kenya”.
Buba said, “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.
“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”.
