Protest: Smartphone Users, Car Owners Are Targets, DHQ Warns
The military warned against any form of violence during the planned nationwide demonstration slated for August.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), on Thursday, said it has uncovered a plot by mischief-makers to attack car owners, landlords and smartphone users during the planned ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest slated for next month.
“Already, we have detected some unscrupulous elements bent on hijacking the planned protest to make it violent. Many are therefore following in ignorance,” said Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, at a press briefing in Abuja.
“For instance, there are indications that if you possess a smartphone, if you possess a car, if you possess a shop, if you own a house or even use air conditioning in your house, you have been labelled a target.”
He warned against any form of violence during the planned nationwide demonstration and hinted that the 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.
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.