The Defence Headquarters has disclosed that its troops had been placed on high alert to support other law enforcement agents during the October 1st Independence day which is scheduled for another protest.
The statement which was made on Monday comes in the wake of Nigerian’s second protest in 2024 tagged #FearlessinOctober scheduled for today.
This is coming even though senior lawyers and civil society organisations have cautioned against military deployment during the rally, as it was citizens rights to express displeasure and any display of violence could aggravate the situation and trigger violence.
The Independence day protest is a continuation of the #EndBadGovernance protests held between August 1 and 10 in response to the economic hardship experienced by many Nigerians.
The previous protest which resounded over many states in Nigeria resulted in violence in parts of the country, especially in the North, which led to looting of shops and warehouses while some participants waved the Russian flag and demanded a regime change.
The authorities had then apprehended no fewer than 30 protesters with Russian flags in Kano and other states. One of the Russian flag producers, identified as Ahmed Bello, was arrested with a large quantity of flags in Kano, his intent for production still remains questionable.
The DSS had raided the NLC headquarters and SERAP’s office in a bid to identify the sponsors of the protests.
Ten of the protesters were subsequently arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja on a six-count charge bordering on alleged treason, mutiny and inciting Nigerians against the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
A 70-year-old Briton, Andrew Wynne, who is allegedly assumed to be the sponsor of the Russian flag is said to still be at large.
