Activist and human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has called on the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, to withdraw the deployment of soldiers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other cities in anticipation of the upcoming hunger protest. Reports has it that there is a noticeable increase in security agents, including military personnel, in the FCT ahead of the nationwide protests scheduled from August 1 to 10.
Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, refuted claims that the deployment was intended to intimidate protesters, stating, “Troops have always been deployed across the country in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. There is nothing new about that (deployment), please.”
However, in a letter addressed to the Chief of Army Staff on Tuesday, Adeyanju emphasized that the responsibility of maintaining security during protests lies with the police, not the military. He pointed out that previous deployments of soldiers during protests in Kenya and the 2020 #EndSARS movement resulted in riots.
“We write as a pro-human rights law firm to draw your attention to the disturbing deployment of men of the Nigerian Army across the Federal Capital Territory and other cities to suppress the scheduled August 1, 2024, national protest,” Adeyanju stated. “The task of providing internal security, including the protection of protesters during the scheduled protest, lies with the Nigerian Police Force and not the Nigerian Army.
“You may also recall that at all times when the armed forces intervened in any protest, including the recent ongoing Kenya protest, such protests often escalated into full-blown riots leading to loss of lives and property. It is on the premise of the foregoing that we urge you to withdraw your men back to the barracks as we do not want a repeat of soldiers killing protesters as was witnessed during EndSARS,” he concluded.
