Tinubu’s administration has criticized former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for his tweet condemning the use of lethal force against protesters,
EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has criticized former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for his recent tweet cautioning security agencies against employing lethal force against looters and arsonists disguised as protesters.
In a tweet on Tuesday night, Atiku opposed the use of lethal force against demonstrators calling for an end to poor governance.
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He warned that security leaders could be held accountable for any harm inflicted on peaceful protesters by soldiers and other security personnel.
Atiku wrote, “I wish to convey a stern caution to the distinguished service chiefs and military commanders of Nigeria’s armed forces that those who authorise the use of lethal force against peaceful civilian protesters will be held responsible for committing crimes against humanity, even in the years following their retirement from service.”
Atiku in the statement also called on the security agencies to ensure a safe and protected environment for the protesters, adding that it is their constitutional right to protest.
In a prompt response, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, criticized Atiku Abubakar’s tweet as an implicit endorsement of the ongoing violent protests in states like Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, and Jigawa.
Onanuga argued that Atiku’s warning should have been directed at the looting mobs rather than security agencies.
He emphasized that the rights to assembly and free expression are not absolute and may be restricted to maintain public peace, safety, and order.
Onanuga praised the Service Chiefs and security personnel for their dedication and accused Atiku of prioritizing personal interests over national stability.
The statement read: “Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar this evening tweeted the absurd: he warned security agencies against using lethal force against looters and arsonists who masqueraded as protesters. As a statesman, his warning ought to be to the looting mob in Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, Jigawa states, who hijacked what was advertised by organizers as a peaceful protest.
“Our security forces have remained professional, even-handed, and observed every restraint in the face of extreme provocation by the rioters.
“We are surprised that Alhaji Atiku is still relying on Section 40 of our constitution (as amended) to justify a protest that is now clearly a riot, a rampage in some parts of the country.
“Section 45 of the constitution says the right of assembly and the right of freedom of expression are not absolute.
“They can be abridged and fettered in the interest of public peace, public safety, law, and order. The Service Chiefs reiterated the rights of Nigerians to protest and gather freely.
“They, however, reinforced their constitutional duty, today, when they said they can not sit by idly and watch hoodlums destroy the country and its democracy.
“The Service Chiefs and the officers and men of our security outfits should be commended for their patriotic duty to our country.
“As a supporter and enabler of the destructive ‘protests’, Alhaji Atiku certainly wants the sinister protest to continue despite the red signals from the streets.
A tweet that condones the destruction of private and public property and investments of citizens is unbecoming of a former vice president of Nigeria.
“Alhaji Atiku ought to have risen above the sentiment he expressed and put the interest of our country’s stability ahead of whatever advantages he hoped to reap from the insurrection on our streets.
“We encourage Alhaji Atiku to borrow a leaf from opposition figures in United Kingdom who have rallied behind the government to condemn the ongoing riots in UK, calling for the arrest and prosecution of those behind the wanton destruction of public and private assets.
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“Such nationalistic temperament as displayed by opposition figures like Rishi Sunak, the immediate-past Prime Minister of UK is expected of Alhaji Atiku.”
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