Planned protests: Military warns against violence as DSS reveals plot to cause chaos 

• No govt will condone destruction of life, property, says Tinubu
• Monarchs meet President, beg Nigerians to shelve proposed action
• Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal cautions Tinubu against arresting Obi
• George: How govt, Nigerians should handle looming demonstration

Defence Headquarters (DHQ), yesterday, said intelligence revealed that some “unscrupulous elements are bent on hijacking” the planned nationwide protests “for violent purposes.”

It affirmed: “Based on the foregoing, the level of violence envisaged is best described as a state of anarchy. For this reason the armed forces will not watch and allow the nation to spiral out of control to such low levels.”

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen Edward Buba, disclosed this at a briefing yesterday.

The DHQ said: “For us in the military, the constitution is clear regarding how and when the military gets involved. The constitution also clearly defines the roles and functions of the armed forces. On the other hand, while citizens have a constitutional right to peaceful protest, they do not have a right to mobilise for anarchy to unleash terror.

“The contemporary context of the planned protest is to shadow happenings in Kenya which have so far been violent and unresolved till date. Given the situation, there are already indicators that unscrupulous elements are bent on hijacking the planned protest for violent purposes.”

Similarly, the Department of State Services (DSS) said it uncovered plots by unscrupulous elements to infiltrate the planned protests and cause chaos in the country.

The spokesman, Dr Peter Afunanya, who made the disclosure, therefore, urged youths to jettison the protest.

“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 as 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 regime change, especially at the centre,” he said.

The spokesman said the Service also identified the funding lines, sponsors, and collaborators of the plot.

He said the DSS does not think that aggression should be the first line of action. “It has, instead, variously applied non-kinetic and conflict resolution strategies, including moral persuasion, stakeholder engagement, and other multi-track diplomatic shuttles, to dissuade planners from actualising their undesirable objectives.

“Based on the foregoing, the Service wishes to warn all the protest groups to eschew any proposed rage, anarchy and spoliation. While the different levels of government have routinely explained their agenda to ameliorate alleged harsh economic conditions, the Service urges the prospective protesters to listen to the voice of reason, good conscience and patiently engage with the authorities, in the interest of peace.”

This came as President Bola Tinubu emphasised the importance of sustaining democracy, its norms and institutions, stressing, however, that while protests are an integral part of democracy, no government will condone demonstrations that lead to the destruction of life and property.

The President spoke at the Presidential Villa after receiving a Letter of Credence from the newly appointed United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Richard Mills Jr.

He said: ‘’Our relationship with America is rich. We believe in democracy and freedom. Some of your predecessors worked hard during our transition to democracy, and we remember the likes of Ambassador Howard Jeter.

‘’We look forward to Nigeria and the United States continuously working to expand cooperation on shared goals and democratic values.

‘’During the military era, we made our voices heard against dictatorship, and I was part of the group that engaged in peaceful protests without resorting to the destruction of property.

‘’We have worked hard to ensure 25 years of unbroken democracy, and I will continue to maintain this democracy.

‘’In as much as we believe that demonstrations are part of democracy, we will never encourage any protests that lead to the destruction of life and property.”

For their part, traditional leaders in the country called on aggrieved Nigerians to listen to the voice of reason and refrain from the protests scheduled for August 1.

The monarchs, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III; Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; and His Royal Majesty, Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ortese Ayatse, among others, arrived at the forecourt of the State House in a single bus, which conveyed them to the meeting in the President’s office.

Rising from their closed-door session with President Tinubu, the monarchs declared that Nigeria would bounce back despite the avalanche of challenges, including hunger and insecurity, faced by the people .

The monarchs had met with Tinubu following a meeting called by the President to ostensibly thaw Nigerians’ burgeoning grievances over sundry challenges.

Addressing newsmen after the meeting, the Emir of Zazzau, Nuhu Bamali, called for calm and assured of the administration’s ongoing efforts to bring succour to all distraught citizens.

“The President has given us the blueprint of what he has been doing over time, and we are hopeful that by God’s grace, it will be all right.

“Though we have made it very clear to him, the main problem in this country, especially the north, is insecurity.

“If the security situation is addressed, certainly people will go back to their farms, and the issue of hunger will drastically reduce and disappear.”

He said the monarchs are as worried as the citizens, given the prevailing circumstances; hence, the appeal for restraint by all, as the government will soon proffer solutions.

“There is nobody that will not be worried about the protest. We have seen what happened in other climes and governments were brought down. As an ex-diplomat, I have seen what happened in other climes, so I am in the position to say what happened in other places. So, we are calling on our people to exercise patience and listen to the words of wisdom. We are very optimistic. Nigeria will bounce back to its former position as the leading country in Africa,” he said.

In the same vein, the Ooni of Ife called on aggrieved citizens to exercise restraint and refrain from activities capable of bringing down the country.

He said, “It is very difficult to build, but it is the easiest to destroy. We are all stakeholders in this country; we should be stronger as a nation together than stronger individually.

“People that are out there to protest, it’s their civic right, but let them put a face to it and don’t let it be hijacked by people that have ulterior motives. That is our stand.

“We condemn such acts fully. We, traditional rulers, are not engaged in people, especially the youth, coming out to start looting, to start breaking down law and order. We are parents, we are traditional rulers, we are closer to them, and we will go back home and continue to engage them.”

The Dein of Agbor, Benjamin Ikenchukwu Keagborekuzi I, also called on Nigerians to exercise restraint and “not destroy our own country,” as what happened in other climes.

He said: “The power, the strength of Nigeria is certainly with the young people. We feel your pain. I’m a young person myself. It’s been 24 years I’ve been back, and it’s been 24 years that I’ve started seeing the nation going in a very unpalatable direction, but by God’s grace, I think if you give us the chance, this protest, I know that it’s catching very high in your neck, but if you give us the chance, let us not destroy our own country.

“Libya was a beautiful country. What happened to Libya, we don’t want it to happen here. Let’s go home, let’s continue to strive for the best that we can, and continue to work with the government to see if we can proffer some solutions. I think that would be best rather than to destroy property or injure ourselves.”

Vice President Kashim Shettima, the National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun, and the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Atiku Bagudu also joined President Tinubu at the meeting.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, and the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, were also in attendance.

MEANWHILE, Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), warned the federal government against any attempt to arrest Peter Obi, the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), for alleged sponsorship of the planned nationwide protests.

“Let them arrest him if that is their plan and see the consequences…Anyone asking Tinubu to arrest Peter Obi doesn’t mean well for him. It is like they took cyanide with their own hands and swallowed it,” he said.

The ex-SGF, who was one of Obi’s key supporters in the 2023 presidential election, warned that the government would be unable to handle the consequences of arresting Obi.

Lawal, speaking with reporters on the issue, debunked the allegations by President Tinubu’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, that the protest, tagged ‘#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria’ was sponsored by Obi and the Obi-dient Movement.

He warned: “Bola Tinubu should not use a forceful approach with the protesters. They mean well for the country. If they go out to protest and there is an attempt to forcefully stop them, it will be the catalyst for chaos.”

He also said: “Tinubu should remove Bayo Onanuga from his position because he doesn’t mean well for his government. His outbursts are inflaming Nigerians rather than pacifying them. When you are in government, you don’t insult the people.”

Also, Chief Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), called on the Federal Government to sue for peace ahead of the planned protests.

Speaking during an appearance on Arise News, the elder statesman called on the federal government not to allow the protest to degenerate into violence.

He said: “We’re in a democratic dispensation, and people must be able to express their feelings about the activities of the government. Nigeria is not a private enterprise. If the people are not happy, let me appeal to both the government and those preparing to do this demonstration. Let there be peace. Please, don’t get violent.”

Bode George also reiterated his call for restructuring the nation, saying, “Nigeria is not a microcosm; Nigeria is a massive nation. What is the business of the national government in the management of the state? We need to refigure, restructure, and reduce the impact of the federal government, local government, and states.

“If we don’t restructure, we are wasting our time. I retired as a general, and the military organisation requires a pyramid. Directives come from the top to the bottom. But in a democratic dispensation, the powers must come from the base to the top.”