Former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, has urged caution regarding planned protests in Nigeria, emphasising that no matter how good the intentions of the protesters are, he believes that the protests “will be hijacked eventually.”
Ejiofor made these remarks during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday while speaking about the proposed nationwide protest scheduled to hold between August 1 and 15 against the rising cost of living and economic hardship in the country.
He said, “I think they did us a lot of good by giving sufficient notice to the government of the intentions to go on a protest. No matter how good their intentions are, I believe that this will be hijacked eventually. Remember what happened at End SARS and the amount of properties destroyed and the loss the nation and individuals even incurred.”
Ejiofor acknowledged the severe economic hardship, hunger, and anger present in the country but warned that these conditions could lead to opportunistic looting and violence. “People who are more hungry now will exploit the opportunity to loot people’s shops, and it will eventually turn violent,” he said.
The former DSS director reaffirmed the citizens’ right to protest but stressed the government’s duty to protect the people. “Citizens have the right to protest. Nobody is saying they should not protest, but again, if you protest and it turns violent, the government has the statutory mandate of protecting innocent citizens,” he said.
Ejiofor appealed to the protest organisers to reconsider their plans and allow the government time to address their concerns. He noted that President Bola Tinubu has been consulting with various interest groups, including governors, party leaders, religious leaders, and traditional rulers. He however urged the president to communicate directly with the public to ensure everyone is informed about the government’s efforts.
“Fortunately, the president is consulting various interest groups. He has met with governors, he has met with party leaders, he has met with religious leaders and traditional rulers and so on. It’s only wise that the government is given time to look at this. And the president should not only stop at consulting these various interest groups. The ordinary man in the streets also needs to know what is happening because some people don’t even have electricity to look at television to know what is going on even though social media is helping to propagate these news items. I think the president needs to directly speak to the people. Maybe making a national broadcast. I believe that in Nigeria, If we have any protest that will turn violent, we will be worse for it and the country will be worse for it. So, there is a need to give time to the government.”
He also highlighted the significant security challenges Nigeria currently faces and warned against exacerbating these issues through protests. “It is necessary that for now, because of the enormous security challenges that we have, we should not compound our problems by engaging in more protests,” Ejiofor asserted.
Melissa Enoch
Follow us on:
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour has condemned the commercialisation of GMO seeds, warning of threats to Nigeria’s food…
Oleksandr Usyk has secured victory over Tyson Fury in Riyadh, successfully defending his heavyweight championship…
Albania plans a one-year TikTok ban from January after a schoolboy’s death sparks concerns over…
A suspect accused of killing five people by driving into a crowded Christmas market in…
A US Navy F/A-18 Hornet was mistakenly shot down over the Red Sea by the…
NNPC has reduced petrol ex-depot price to N899 per litre, sparking competition with Dangote Refinery…
View Comments
SELL GOODS LIKE :
VEHICLES
BAGS OF RICE
BALES OF CLOTHES
VEGITABLES OIL ETC. ALSO THE REPLACEMENT FROM IS OUT NOW,Golf2 #300,000
Golf 3 #3500,000
Golf4 #400, 000
Golf 5 #420,000
Dyna truck 900k
Tipper head 6m
Toyota Camry big daddy=#750,000
Toyota Camry tiny light=#500,000
Toyota Venza=#1.4million
Toyota Matrix=#750,000
Toyota Avalon=#930,000
Toyota 4Runner=# 950,000
Toyota Avensis=#900,000
Toyota Corolla=#850,000
Toyota Rav4=#1.1million
IS250 1m
Es330 1.6m
Toyota Highlander=#1.3million
Toyota Tacoma=#1.5million
Toyota Prado=#1.2million
Toyota Yaris=#750,000
Toyota sienna=#850,000
Toyota Hilux=#2.5million
Toyota Tundra=#2.8million
Spider 1m800k
Muscle 1m900k
Mercedes-Benz GLK ₦3.Million
Benz ML550=2.6million
Toyota Sequoia #900,000
Toyota Haice Bus=#1,000,000
Toyota Camry muscle=#850,000 Toyota picnic=#800,000
Lexus RX300=#1.2million
Lexus RX330=#1.4million
Lexus RX350#=2.1million
Lexus GX460=#2.4million
Honda Accord EOD=#450,000
Honda Baby boy=#500,000
Honda Civic=#700,000
Honda Pilot=#750,000
Honda CR-V=#800,000
Honda Crosstour=#1m950,000
BMW X5=#1.2million
BMW X6=#1.6million
Infinity FX35 = #1.7million
Infinity QX45=#1.2million
Infinity QX4=#950,000
Nissan Murano=#900,000
Nissan Pathinder=#950,000
Nissan Altima=#800,000
Nissan Maxima=#630,000
Acura MDX=#1.2million
Benz ML350=2 million
Acura ZDX=#1.3million
Acura TL=#1 million
Mercedes-Benz C-Class ₦1.3Million
Mercedes-Benz E-Class ₦1.8Million
Range rover sport HSE=#3.5million Land rover discovery=#2.3millon
Land rover freelander=#8.2million
Gwagon=#7MILLION. E.T.C
O8O-_-_6739 _-_-9O9O〽.