Military will take action if unrest escalates, says Chief of Defence Staff

The Nigerian military has warned that it may take action to control the looting and uncover the identities of those instigating civil unrest, as the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests continue nationwide.

This was disclosed by Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, at a press conference in Abuja on Friday.

Musa said, “We are supporting the police all through. We are just on standby. The police is doing a good job; they are handling the situation for now.

“Unless it breaches beyond what they can handle, then the military will step in. The military is on standby and we are watching day and night.”

13 protesters were allegedly killed by security personnel across Nigeria, sparking condemnation by Amnesty International.

The Country Director, Isa Sanusi, in a statement on Friday, described the incident as “unjustified and unacceptable”.

“The Nigerian authorities must investigate these incidents impartially and effectively and ensure that security personnel suspected of responsibility for the alleged deadly use of force are held to account through fair trial,” he said.
Amnesty International also expressed worries over the Nigerian authorities’ “growing hostility to dissent” and the “relentless repression of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly”.
“Our findings, so far, show that security personnel at the locations where lives were lost deliberately used tactics designed to kill while dealing with gatherings of people protesting hunger and deep poverty,” the statement read.
“All those arrested for taking part in the protests must be released immediately and unconditionally. Authorities must also end the rampant violations of the people’s rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” Sanusi added.