Morolake Oluwatosin
The Ekiti state Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps,(NSCDC), Mr Agboola Sunday on Wednesday had an emergency meeting where he briefed senior officers of the command on instructions to work upon during the planned nationwide protest slated to commence tomorrow.
The senior officers included Divisional officers of the 16 local government areas and 33 Local Council Developmental areas,LCDAs in the state , the area commanders, HOPs,HOU’s, Special operation’s head including CTU and anti kidnapping .
While briefing journalist to herald the meeting, the commandant stressed the determination of the security agency to adequate protection of people’s lives and properties, he admitted the right of the people to peaceful protest in exhibiting their grievances but stated such should not be accompanied by violence .
Agboola who signaled on the implications of violent protest ,declared that the command would not fold its arms to allow the situation that occurred during the Endsars to come up again .
“We want to ensure that the property of citizens is safe and the interest are protected as the protest begins tomorrow . 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 citizens have the right to have a peaceful protest, we are not shy on our own duty too. Federal Government is worried about the protest because they don’t want a situation whereby it would be hijacked by hoodlums and caused hardship, destruction, arson .
“During Endsars protest, we saw how the things turned out , so the Federal government don’t want the repeat of such ,that’s why we are working hard to ensure that the citizens are protected, the life of people and government infrastructure and all critical national assets are protected, we don’t want what happened in Endsars to repeat itself in Ekiti.
“We are appealing to some people ,the obas, the opinion and religious leaders to talk to their wards so that the protest doesn’t hold at all. To vandalize anything here will lead to pressure, we are appealing to people to shelve the protest
“As I said we are working with other security agencies in the state , the police, the military and others . From here we are going to deploy 900 personnels for adequate protection .
“Its not that we don’t want people to protest, the fear is that we don’t want the protest to be hijacked by hoodlums, there is hardship according to them in the country, but by now creating an avenue for people to come and vandalize properties, infact it’s the citizens that would be worried, when it happens, it affects individuals more than the government , so everybody should be worried, because its not a child play , let us dialogue together, lets achieve our aims and objectives through dialogue and not violence ,that is the plea by the Federal government and we are going to ensure that in Ekiti state.”
About detection of the identity of the organizers, the NSCDC commandants said, “either we know people that are organizing the protest or not ,it is our duty to prepare for eventuality ,our own is to protect the citizen of Federal republic of Nigeria and people in Ekiti ,we are working hard to ensure that lives are safe and we go out to do our normal duty from tomorrow till the date demonstration lasts , to ensure nobody is molested, embarrassed and that lives continue.
“In a situation whereby the process is hijacked, we would do our jobs, we will not spare our rods because where your rights stop is where other peoples rights start , so we would not allow anyone to violate people’s rights and law or orders of the Federal republic of Nigeria, we would do the needful.
“My advice is that people should allow peace to reign, to understand the Federal government of Nigeria and to make sure we do not violate people’s rights, we should do our normal daily routines and parents should talk to their children never to violate the rights of others, when they protest and it turns to violence, everybody will suffer and its not our prayers that we should add sufferings to what we have been experiencing in Nigeria again , let us dialogue with the federal government to make our grievances known, and am sure the federal government would listen and do the right thing ,” the commandant said.