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Like, military, police, SSS reads riot act against planned nationwide protest

THE State Security Services (SSS) has issued a stern warning to parents, guardians, and community leaders, to advise their children and wards against participating in a planned protest scheduled to take place in various parts of the country, from August 1.

The secret police sounded the warning in a press statement released by its Director of Public Relations Peter Afunanya, via its X handle on Thursday, July 25.

This is despite the constitutional provisions of the constitutionally guaranteed right for Nigerians to protest and assemble.

Under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), every person is entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons.

“Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and may form or belong to any political party, trade union or any other association for the protection of his interests,” Section 40 reads.

Also the United Nations Human Rights law stressed on the right of peaceful assembly.

 The law states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. The right of peaceful assembly includes the right to hold meetings, sit-ins, strikes, rallies, events or protests, both offline and online.”

The riot acts

Meanwhile, with this latest alarm, the SSS has joined the Nigerian military and other state actors in threatening the ‘organisers’ of the nationwide protest scheduled for the first week of August this year.

The service raised concerns over potential infiltration by elements aiming to incite chaos and extreme violence.

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According to the SSS, the planned protest has political motivations with the ultimate goal of discrediting both the federal and sub-national governments, leading to a change in regime.

“The plotters desire to use the intended violent outcome to smear the federal and sub-national governments; make them unpopular and pitch 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 statement added.

The secret police urged the agitators to use ample ways available to them to channel their grievances without resorting to violence.

It further called community, CSOs and market leaders to reject any invitations to participate in orchestrated violence

“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 statement added.

Military, police, presidency warn against planned protest 

Meanwhile, earlier the Nigerian military had joined other state actors to threaten organisers of the nationwide protest against embarking on the strike.

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“The armed forces on its part will not stand by and allow anarchy to befall our nation,” the director of defence media operations, Major General Edward Buba, said at a media briefing in Abuja, on Thursday, July 25.



According to him, organisers of the planned protest intend to replicate the recent demonstration in Kenya, which led to deaths, destruction and drastic actions from the country’s president.

The military’s stance also aligned with the positions of a few other state actors, including the presidency and the police, who also issued stern warnings against any protest.




     

     

    The Inspector General of Police, on Tuesday, July 23, expressed similar sentiments, warning that: “Some groups of people, self-appointed crusaders and influencers, have been strategising and mobilising potential protesters to unleash terror in the land under the guise of replicating the recent Kenya protests.”

    Also, reacting to the different calls for the protest, the Special Adviser to the president on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Saturday, July 20, said the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, should be held responsible for his supporters’ alleged plans to cause mayhem in the country.

    According to him, the IPOB and Obi’s supporters are the people spreading the hashtags ‘EndBadGovernance’, ‘Tinubu Must Go,’ and ‘Revolution2024’.

    He further described them as anarchists and not democrats, noting that they were attempting to call out their people via propaganda due to Obi’s failure to win the presidency in the 2023 election.

    Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M

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