Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police (IGP), says the police have “credible intelligence” that foreign mercenaries are involved in the planned nationwide protest.
Egbetokun spoke in Abuja on Friday at a press conference.
In the past few days, there have been reports of a youth-led
planned nationwide protest over the economic hardship in the country.
The planned protest has been slated to commence on August 1.
The federal and state governments, including President Bola
Tinubu, have appealed to the youths to shelve the planned protest.
Religious and traditional institutions have equally called
for the cancellation of the planned demonstration.
The military and the Department of State Services (DSS) said
there are indications that the protest would be hijacked to perpetuate
violence.
Egbetokun cautioned that a peaceful protest in the country
at the moment may be “ill-timed”.
“We note those who have spoken out against any form of
protest at this critical juncture, fearing enemies of our country may be
manipulating the process,” the IGP said.
“We confirm that their fears are genuine, as we have
credible intelligence of foreign mercenaries’ involvement in this planned
protest.
“The Nigeria Police urge Nigerians to exercise caution and
think twice before joining any protest group while we alert citizens to the
sinister motive of certain groups planning to wreak havoc.
“It has become clear
that even a peaceful protest at this time may be ill-timed.
“We issue a strong warning to clandestine groups planning to
destabilise the country and hoodlums seeking to exploit the protest for their
criminal agenda.”
Egbetokun said the police acknowledged the constitutional
right of Nigerians to peaceful assembly, adding that the police will provide
security cover during the protest.
“To facilitate an incident-free protest, they (organisers of
protest) should please provide the following information: one, proposed protest
route and assembly point; two, expected duration of protest; three, names and
contact details of protest leaders and organisers; four, measures to prevent
hijacking by criminal elements, including key identifiers of possible isolation
of potential troublemakers,” he said.
The IGP said the police are ready to work with all Nigerians
to promote “peaceful expression and maintain public order”.
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Because Nigerians want to protest, Tinubu is busy sharing money to traditional & religious leaders to avert protest but he did protest during his time.
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