The chief of defence staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, Friday stated that the Nigerian army will take action if the ongoing protest escalates.
Musa disclosed this while fielding questions from journalists as regards the level of violet recorded so far in the country in the midst of the protest.
The hunger protest began yesterday in some parts of the country as Nigerians protested against hardship, hunger, and other socio-economic stress in the country.
Recall that hoodlums hijacked the protests, vandalised and looted properties in Borno, Yobe and Kano states where curfew had already been declared by the state governors.
Reacting to the situation Musa said that the military is at alert and fully prepared to take action if the protest escalates.
In a press conference on Friday, Musa urged protesters to recognise that destruction is counter-productive and would only set the nation back.
He said; “We should realise that these destructions and monies have to be used — monies for development will have to be used to develop these things so we can move forward, and so instead of doing that, we should come together to make sure nothing is destroyed.”
“The statement has already been passed to the local, state, and federal governments.”
Musa commended the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for its efforts to maintain law and order, but added that the military would be forced to step in if the violence persists.
“We want to warn those that are recalcitrant, those that don’t want to listen, that we will not fold our hands and see our country destroyed,” Musa warned.
“We will take action, and the action that we’ll take will be professional. Anyone who is caught will be taken to the courts to be dealt with.
“Let us avoid anything that will bring mayhem within our communities.
“We have seen the level of destruction that has been carried out just yesterday, and so you can imagine if this continues for so long. The armed forces and the entire military security agencies will not stand by and see that to continue.”
The military chief also asked the media to lessen coverage of the protests, saying some protesters are only looking for screen time.
“I noticed throughout yesterday all the stations were hooked up on the occasion. This is not an election, don’t give them that coverage because some of them are just looking for moments of being on the screen,” he said.
