The Kaduna State Security Council has banned all forms of processions not approved by the authorities as the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest ends Saturday (today).
The council said the move was to prevent criminal elements from infiltrating protests to incite unrest in the state
In a statement issued on Saturday by Samuel Aruwan, the Overseeing Commissioner of the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, the security council declared that unlawful gatherings would not be tolerated.
According to Aruwan, the council acknowledges the fundamental rights of citizens to freedom of expression, lawful assembly, and other constitutional rights enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
“Nevertheless, the security forces cannot permit a situation where criminals masquerade as protesters to loot and vandalize public and private property and unleash terror on innocent citizens, as experienced on August 1 and August 5, 2024,” he said.
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He explained that processions not verified and cleared by security agencies remain prohibited due to public security considerations.
Aruwan noted that the events of August 1 and August 5, 2024, indicated that criminals were pursuing an agenda to plunge the state into chaos, camouflaging their designs with otherwise genuine protests.
He added that available intelligence from the reviewed period showed that these forces were targeting children and impressionable individuals to further their dark schemes.
Aruwan emphasized that the potential consequences of these plans, if allowed to flourish, were dire.
He assured that the state government and security forces would not permit an anti-state agenda to go unchecked.
He reiterated that criminals masquerading as protesters would not be allowed to wreak havoc in the state, urging citizens to continue observing the 6 pm to 8 am curfew and report any incendiary activity to the Security Operations Room.
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