We Will Not Welcome Protest In Bauchi – State Govt

The Bauchi State Government has said it would not welcome any protest as tension rises over a planned nationwide protest scheduled to start on August 1.

The Secretary to the State Government of Bauchi State, Barrister Ibrahim Kashim, in a press briefing at the Government House on Wednesday, warned that anybody planning to organise a protest within the state’s borders should think twice.

On the part of the government, we completely dissociate ourselves from any protest. We are not aware, we are not welcoming any protest, and it won’t happen in Bauchi State, Kashim said.

He stressed that the state government is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity in the state, and “if they (organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protest) insist on protesting, they should do so elsewhere, not in Bauchi State.”

The #EndBadGovernance protest scheduled to start on August 1 is a nationwide peaceful demonstration planned by Civil Society Organisations and concerned youth groups to protest against hunger, corruption, and bad governance.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has pleaded for suspending the protest while his aides have threatened pushback. However, Nigerian Citizens have vowed not to back out.

On Wednesday, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, warned against violent protests. He specifically warned against a repeat of the #EndSARS protests in October 2020.

He said, 

Some groups of people, self-appointed crusaders and influencers have been strategising and mobilising potential protesters to unleash terror under the guise of replicating the recent Kenya protest. While the force acknowledges the right to peaceful protest as enshrined in our constitution, we must ensure that this protest does not snowball into violence or disorder.

Governors of the 36 states also met on Wednesday night, but they did not brief the media about the agenda of their meeting after it ended early Thursday.

Read: “Let Them Arrest Peter Obi And See The Consequences” – Ex-SGF Warns FG, Cautions Against Using Force On Protesters

• #EndBadGovernance: Army Cautions Organisers Of Planned Peaceful Protest Against ‘Violence’

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Oluwatobi Odeyinka

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