Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has vowed that the breakdown of law and order will not be tolerated in the state during the proposed August 1 nationwide protests.
Addressing the people of Ekiti State in a statewide broadcast on Wednesday, the Governor expressed concern that the planned protest has the potential to degenerate into violence and reverse his administration’s steady progress to shared prosperity.
Oyebanji disclosed that security agencies will be on high alert and will not allow anybody to destroy Ekiti’s good image as a peaceful and progressive State.
This came as the State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said no fewer than 900 of its personnel would be deployed to maintain law and other during the protest.
Governor Oyebanji said Nigeria and its people cannot afford “another massive destruction of our economic base” as witnessed during the #EndSARS protest that led to the destruction of many private and government infrastructures.
He appealed to the residents of the state not to fall into the agenda of individuals “who might just be interested in wreaking havoc while pretending to be fighting for the interest of the ordinary people.”
While contending that protest, violence and destruction of lives and property can be counterproductive, he said “a lot of fifth columnists are trying desperately to weaponise the current economic crisis for their own destructive agenda.”
Recalling the havoc wreaked in Ekiti during the #EndSARS protest of 2020, Governor Oyebanji disclosed that some public buildings, infrastructures and assets are still in ruins nearly four years after they were savagely vandalized by protesters with government struggling to repair or replace them.
The Governor appealed to parents, guardians, traditional rulers and religious leaders to appeal to the youths not to submit themselves to those he referred to as “evil merchants who want to use them to cause violence in our state as protests can easily be hijacked by hoodlums.”
The state’s NSCDC Commandant, Mr Sunday Agboola who disclosed this said Nigerians have the right to protest, but feared that it could be hijacked by hoodlums.
Agboola said the organisation and other security agencies was working hard to protect lives and property to ensure that people go about their normal duties and that nobody is molested or embarrassed, and that their rights were not infringed upon.
He said, “We are working with other security agencies in Ekiti State on this. The police, military and others. From our end, we are going to deploy over 900 personnel to ensure that the rights of our people, the government infrastructure, and all critical national assets are protected.
“We have been appealing to our people including traditional rulers, opinion and religious leaders, parents ang guardians to at least talk to their subjects, followers, children and wards to ensure that the protest does not even hold at all, because Ekiti is a new state that is just developing and trying to grow, and for them to destroy and vandalise anything here will retard the progress of the state.
“We have been having meetings with all the security agencies to ensure that the rights of other citizens are not violated. We are aware that the citizens have the right to stage a peaceful protest, but we are not shying away from our own duties too.
“The federal government is worried about the proposed protests because they don’t want a situation whereby the protest will be hijacked by hoodlums, where they will unleash mayhem, hardship, destruction, arson. Especially considering, what happened during the 2020 #ENDSARS protest, we saw how things turned out. That is the fear of the federal government. They don’t want such to repeat itself, that is why we are working hard to ensure that the citizens are protected. We are even ready to protect all federal critical infrastructure and assets in the state too. Our men have been deployed. I have spoken with the District Officers and Area Commanders to ensure lives and property in their domains are well protected”.
He advised the youths to allow peace to reign, show understanding to the federal government and ensure people’s rights were not violated and peacefully go about their daily routines.
“Our fathers and mothers should be talking to their children not to violate the right of others, because when they protest and the protest turned violent, it means everybody will suffer and it’s not our prayers that we should add suffering in any guise to what we are presently going through in our country.
“So, let’s dialogue and make our grievances known to the federal government. I am sure they will listen and do the right thing for Nigeria will be great,” Agboola said.