Reps committee calls for immediate suspension of protests

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Interior, Abdullahi Ahmed, has urged Nigerian youths to suspend the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests and embrace dialogue with the government.

In a statement issued to journalists by his Special Assistant on Media, Sardauna Francis, on Monday, Ahmed said the call was due to incidents of looting and destruction of lives and property in some parts of the country.

Ahmed said protests in Nigeria usually open doors for looters and hoodlums to take advantage of the situation, without fulfilling the public’s intentions and objectives, hence the need for immediate suspension.

“In light of reports of looting, destruction, and loss of lives in some parts of the country, I use this medium to beseech all our brothers and sisters to kindly withdraw from the protest and embrace dialogue as a more civilised alternative to drive our demands home for the collective well-being of all Nigerians,” he said.

The lawmaker Ahmed revealed that the voices of the demonstrators have been heard, and both state and federal governments have put in place various measures to address the challenges affecting the nation.

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While noting that the right to peaceful protest is enshrined in Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, Ahmed said the looting, killing, and destruction of public and private properties serve as a serious threat to the national economy, growth, and development.

He, however, expressed concern that some hoodlums and unscrupulous elements have hijacked the protest, looted, and destroyed critical national economic assets, stating that such nefarious activities would further compound the problems in the country.

He added that halting the leaderless and spontaneous protest would prevent criminal elements from further hijacking the process and causing disruptions to the relative peace in the country.