#EndBadGovernance Protests: CSO Demands Probe, Prosecution Of Organisers, Insurrectionists

By Akinwale Kasali

“It was a coup plot luckily aborted by Security Agencies”

A week after the end of the #Endbadgovernance Nationwide Protest which rocked most parts of the country, a civil society organization under the auspices of Patriotism Awareness Forum, PAF, has demanded a probe of protest which resulted in wanton looting, torching of public and private properties, disruption and destruction of lives.

In a statement issued in Lagos signed by Nelson Ekujumi,

Convener, and Peter Claver Oparah, Co-Convener, the Group is demanding a probe and prosecution of the instigators and perpetrators of the insurrection disguised as a hunger protest by “unpatriotic, disgruntled and subversive elements whose main agenda, was the overthrow of a legitimately elected democratic government.”

It added that this intent “makes the so-called protest an attempted coup and a violation of the laws of the land.

“We wholly agree with the position of Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State that the protest was a coup plot. Being the Chief Security Officer of Kaduna State, which served as one of the few epicenters of the violent protest, we cannot but agree wholly with the Governor who revealed that huge amount of money and materials were deployed by unscrupulous politicians to mobilize and sponsor the protesters to unleash harm on lives and properties of government and law abiding citizens in order to procure an illegal change of government.

“We are forced to make this demand for a probe and prosecution of the #Endbadgovernance protests Insurrectionists not only because of the assault and violation of our constitution, but also due to the fact that the plot of unseating a legitimately elected democratic government by means other than through the ballot box by persons and interests who lost elections is gradually becoming a fad which is dangerous and is a threat to our democracy, peace and national security.

“We all witnessed a similar scenario in 2020 under the guise of #EndSARS protest of insurrection and anarchy with the ultimate aim of overthrowing the democratically elected administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari which had just secured a renewed mandate of the Nigerian people at the polls in 2019.

“Now, in 2024, just a year after the 2023 general elections, we are all witnessing same style of assault and violation of our constitution in the guise of the exercise of the fundamental rights to protest. This is condemnable and unacceptable”.

PAF went further to commend the “security agencies for their vigilance and professionalism in monitoring and foiling the coup plot right from the planning stage to the execution in the pretext of hunger protest by alerting Nigerians to be wary, which contributed in no small measure to the failure of the unpopular protest of insurrection.”

It, also, “congratulated the Nigerian people for their patriotism and unalloyed commitment to democracy by shunning en masse the protest of insurrection which attempted to make political capital out of their economic challenges Nigerians are facing and urged them to remain vigilant against the evil plots of agents of destabilization and anarchy.”

PAF charged the Nigerian Government and the security agencies “to do a thorough investigation of the coup plot disguised as a protest and ensure prosecution of indicted persons just like what was witnessed in USA with regards to the Capitol invasion in 2021 and only recently in the United Kingdom where perpetrators of violations of the laws of the land are made to face the music.”