The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), says the planned August 1 nationwide protest can potentially degenerate into anarchy and a reign of terror as a result of the situational analysis by the military high command.
This was made known to journalist in Abuja on Thursday by the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, adding that the military had analyzed several factors such as if the planned protest was sponsored by opposition political parties, foreign interference, amongst others.
He said, “For us in the military, the constitution is clear as to how and when the military gets involved. The constitution also clearly defines the roles and functions of the armed forces.”
“On the other hand, while citizens have a constitutional right to peaceful protest, they do not have a right to mobilize for anarchy in order to unleash terror.
“The contemporary context of the planned protest is to shadow happenings in Kenya which has so far been violent and unresolved to date.
“Given the situation, there are already indicators that, unscrupulous elements are bent on hijacking the planned protest for violent purposes.
“Based on the foregoing, the level of violence envisaged is best described as a state of anarchy. It is for this reason the armed forces will not watch and allow the nation spiral out of control to such low levels.”
He also stated that there are indications that people with a smartphone, a car, a shop and other possessions have been labelled targets for the protests.