The Presidency has told former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar that warnings about the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest should be directed at those looting private and public properties, and not service chiefs.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate in the last election had cautioned the service chiefs and military commanders that those authorising use of lethal force against peaceful civilian protesters would be held responsible for committing crimes against humanity.
Atiku said it is the solemn duty of the government and security agencies to ensure a safe and protected environment for individuals exercising their right to peaceful protest, adding that even in the years following their retirement from service, the Service Chiefs couls be called to answer for their actions.
But in a swift reaction, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said the Service Chiefs and the officers and men of the security outfits should be commended for their patriotic duty .
Onanuga said, “As a supporter and enabler of the destructive ‘protests’, Alhaji Atiku certainly wants the sinister protest to continue despite the red signals from the streets. A tweet that condones the destruction of private and public property and investments of citizens is unbecoming of a former vice president of Nigeria.
“Atiku ought to have risen above the sentiment he expressed and put the interest of our country’s stability ahead of whatever advantages he hoped to reap from the insurrection on our streets.
“We encourage Alhaji Atiku to borrow a leaf from opposition figures in United Kingdom who have rallied behind the government to condemn the ongoing riots in UK, calling for the arrest and prosecution of those behind the wanton destruction of public and private assets. Such nationalistic temperament as displayed by opposition figures like Rishi Sunak, the immediate-past Prime Minister of UK, is expected of Alhaji Atiku.”
The Presidential aide also noted that Atiku “tweeted the absurd: he warned security agencies against using lethal force against looters and arsonists who masqueraded as protesters. As a statesman, his warning ought to be to the looting mob in Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, Jigawa states, who hijacked what was advertised by organizers as a peaceful protest.
“Our security forces have remained professional, even-handed, and observed every restraint in the face of extreme provocation by the rioters. We are surprised that Alhaji Atiku is still relying on Section 40 of our constitution (as amended) to justify a protest that is now clearly a riot, a rampage in some parts of the country. “
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