Ahead of the August 1st protest, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has uncovered mischief-makers’ plot to hijack and use the demonstration to fulfill their plans across the country.
DHQ noted that plans of the hijackers were to attack car owners, landlords, and smartphone users during the planned ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest slated for next month.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen. Edward Buba, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing in Abuja.
“Already, we have detected some unscrupulous elements bent on hijacking the planned protest to make it violent. Many are therefore following in ignorance.
“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 added.
While warning against any form of violence during the planned nationwide demonstration, he hinted that the organisers of the planned protest intend to replicate the recent protest-turn-anarchy demonstration in the East African country Kenya.
Buba said although citizens have a right to ventilate their grievances, the military won’t condone any form of violent gatherings or protests.
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.
