Federal Government Replies Atiku, Says Security Agencies Must Be Commended For Clamping Down On Protesters
Atiku had cautioned the nation’s security forces against deploying excessive measures on people who engaged in looting and arson under the guise of peaceful protests.
The Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government has stated that the Service Chiefs, officers, and men of the security outfits should be commended for their “patriotic duty” to the country when they clamped down on unharmed, peaceful #EndBadGovernance protesters.
The Tinubu government also accused former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, of improperly directing his warnings about the use of lethal force by security agencies.
Atiku had cautioned the nation’s security forces against deploying excessive measures on people who engaged in looting and arson under the guise of peaceful protests.
The government argues that Atiku’s remarks were misdirected and should have been aimed at the looters themselves.
The former Vice President addressed the actions of law enforcement amid protests that turned violent in several states, including Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, and Jigawa.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, claimed that the Nigerian security forces had remained professional and even-handed, demonstrating restraint in the face of extreme provocation by the rioters.
Onanuga said the government was surprised that “Alhaji Atiku was 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.”
According to him, “Section 45 of the constitution says the right of assembly and freedom of expression are not absolute rights. They can be abridged and fettered in the interest of public peace, safety, law, and order. The Service Chiefs reiterated the rights of Nigerians to protest and gather freely. They, however, reinforced their constitutional duty today when they said they can not sit by idly and watch hoodlums destroy the country and its democracy.”
He noted that the Service Chiefs, officers, and men of the security outfits should be commended for their patriotic duty to our country.
“As a supporter and enabler of the destructive ‘protests,’ Alhaji Atiku wants the sinister protests to continue despite the street’s red signals. A tweet that condones the destruction of private and public property and citizens’ investments is unexpected from a former vice president of Nigeria.
Onanuga explained that Alhaji Atiku ought to have risen above the sentiments he expressed and put the interest of the country’s stability ahead of whatever advantages he hoped to reap from the insurrection on our streets.
“We encourage Alhaji Atiku to adopt a more nationalistic approach that transcends personal interests and focuses on the greater good of our nation.
“He should take a cue from opposition figures in the United Kingdom who have rallied behind the government to condemn the ongoing riots in the UK, calling for the arrest and prosecution of those behind the wanton destruction of public and private assets. Such a nationalistic temperament, as displayed by opposition figures such as Rishi Sunak, the immediate past Prime Minister of the UK, is expected of Alhaji Atiku.”
He added that if Alhaji Atiku had followed this approach, he would have given hope for a united front against the destructive protests.
