Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff (CDS), says the
military will intervene if the ongoing nationwide #EndbadGovernance protests
persist violently.
Musa spoke in reaction to the vandalisation and looting of
properties that characterised the protest in many parts of the country on
Thursday.
In Kano, protesters looted the newly built Nigeria
Communications Commission (NCC) Industrial Park, setting parts of it ablaze.
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre
was scheduled for commissioning next week.
Some youths were seen making away with desktop computers,
chairs, keyboards, and other appliances from the centre.
The protest, which has also turned ugly in Yobe, Lagos,
Borno, Gombe, and Abuja, has left at least 14 people reported dead.
Organisers have labelled the nationwide demonstrations as
’10 Days of Rage’ and #EndBadGovernance.
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In a press conference on Friday, Musa urged protesters to
recognise that destruction is counterproductive and would only set the nation
aback.
“We should realise that these destructions and monies have
to be used—mmonies for development will have to be used to develop these things
so we can move forward, and so instead of doing that, we should come together
to make sure nothing is destroyed,” the CDS said.
“The statement has already been passed to the local, state,
and federal governments.”
Musa commended the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for its
attempt to establish order but added that the military would be forced to step
in if the violence persists.
“We want to warn
those that are recalcitrant, those that don’t want to listen, that we will not
fold our hands and see our country destroyed,” the CDS said.
“We will take action, and the action that we’ll take will be
professional. Anyone who is caught will be taken to the courts to be dealt
with.
“Let us avoid anything that will bring mayhem within our
communities.
“We have seen the level of destruction that has been carried
out just yesterday, and so you can imagine if this continues for so long. The
armed forces and the entire military security agencies will not stand by and
see that to continue.”
The military chief also asked the media to lessen coverage
of the protests, saying some protesters are only looking for screen time.
“I noticed throughout yesterday all the stations were hooked
up on the occasion. This is not election, don’t give them that coverage because
some of them are just looking for moments of being on the screen,” he said.
Musa appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the
government, saying policies have been enacted and actions have been taken to
ensure there is relief from the economic hardship.
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