Oluwatosin Enesi
The report condemned the roles played by the two governors in escalating the protests into violent and destructive actions.
The report, released by the Independent Coalition for Democratic Governance in Nigeria led by its convener, Dr Ben Omale Amodu, reveals a disturbing pattern of political thuggery and exploitation of public unrest for personal gain.
According to the report, the governors of Zamfara and Kano states, both from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), mobilised hoodlums to target political rivals, wreak havoc on public and private property, and loot valuables.
The report specifically highlights the destruction of the APC secretariat in Zamfara state, the vandalism and arson of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) Industrial Park in Kano State, and the attempted arson of the residence of the immediate past governor of Zamfara state.
The report’s findings suggest that the protests, which began as a peaceful expression of discontent with the government’s economic policies, were hijacked by anti-democratic forces and opposition elements seeking to destabilize the government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The actions of the Zamfara and Kano state governors have been widely condemned as a blatant attempt to exploit public unrest for personal and political gain.
The Independent Coalition for Democratic Governance in Nigeria thereby called on the federal government to take decisive action to address the demands of the protesters, to prevent future occurrences of such destructive protests, and hold accountable those responsible for the violence and destruction.
“It was noted that a significant number of the states with high incidences of hijacked protests were under the governance of opposition parties, notably the PDP and NNPP. Conversely, states with APC governors exhibited minimal to no records of violence, instead witnessing peaceful protest demonstrations as compared to the former,” the report said.
“There exists compelling evidence to unequivocally suggest that the ongoing protest has been commandeered by nefarious elements, who have exploited the situation to perpetrate attacks on political opposition, engage in rampant looting, and wreak havoc on both private and public property,” the report said.
“This bad turn of events serves as a stark testament to the fact that nationwide protests are often hijacked by anti-democratic forces and opposition elements, whose ultimate goal is to destabilize and destroy the very fabric of a united nation.”
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