Nigeria’s CDS, Gen Christopher Musa, asks media not to cover anti-hunger protests

By OUR REPORTER

Nigeria’s government has allowed people associate freely without restrictions. He expressed disappointment with the outcome of protests.

Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has called on media in the country not to give what he describes as undue coverage to the ongoing protests in cities across the country, emphasising that it is not an election.

During an address to the media on Friday August 2, 2024, General Musa said that the government had shown its commitment to allowing people to associate freely without restrictions, a right that, checks revealed, is given not by government but by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He expressed disappointment with the outcome of the protests.

The DEFENDER’s investigations showed the violence that ensued during the protests was cased either by government sponsored counter-protesters or security agents’ overzealousness shooting at peaceful protesters to stop them from accessing, for instance, the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja, which was the venue to which they were restricted by the court order obtained by the same government.

The protesters this proceeded to the Eagle Square where tear-gassing was freely used against the protesters by police operatives.

One of the aggrieved protesters, who spoke to the press, said, “You can see now that we are in front of Moshood Abiola Stadium which is the venue their court order asked us to use for our protest. We agreed to use the Stadium but you can see that police operatives here not only blocked us from entering the stadium but also they have opened fire, tear-gassing us with some of us injured. This is evidence that this government has deprived us from enjoying the right given to us by the Constitution of Nigeria.”

But in the press briefing personally addressed by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, he clearly blamed the crisis sparked by those activities of either the government sponsored counter-protesters or security agents’ overzealousness on the peaceful protesters who were at the receiving end of all the misdeeds, victims told the press.

The CDS said, “The security forces, especially the Nigeria Police Force, have shown a lot of professionalism, including where members of the armed forces had to step in,” Musa said.

“We have remained professional in our conduct and will continue to do so as long as the citizens understand the difference between peace and criminality,” he insisted.

Musa described the initial phase of the protest as peaceful but noted that it was quickly taken over by criminals. He urged Nigerians to understand that the federal government is doing its best to address the country’s financial, economic, and security challenges.

“The president’s regime is just there for less than one year. It is not possible for them to have solved every situation within one year. Efforts have been made, policies have been implemented to address the economic situation on the ground,” he added. “We are heading in the right direction, and with the support of everyone, we can bring total peace and the economy will pick up.”

In Lagos, police authorities had told protesters not to match to Alausa because there were hoodlums there, a development that many took as confirmation of Lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) statement, earlier, which said the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun’s statement of intelligence report about hijack was confirmation that government planned to sponsor thugs and hoodlums to disrupt the anti-hunger protests of August 1-10.

In Kano, the state government had identified a President Bola Tinubu’s ally, Baffa Dan Agundi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as leader of the violent protesters that looted government and private properties Kano in effort to criminalise the lawful protests.