The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, in a press conference in Abuja on Friday said that the Nigerian military may intervene to control looting and crisis in the ongoing hunger protest.
Musa said, “We are supporting the police all through. We are just on standby. The police are doing a good job; they are handling the situation for now.
“Unless it breaches beyond what they can handle, then the military will step in. The military is on standby and we are watching day and night.”
The CDS noted that while he’s aware of the “grievances” of the protesters on the challenging economic difficulties in the country, he urged them to show some understanding to the Federal Government.
Musa appealed to Nigerians to be united during these trying times and also cautioned against the vandalisation of property and looting.
“So, we want to call on all Nigerians to understand the government. If you have grievances, which I know people have, a lot of challenges here and there, and it is not only in Nigeria alone; everywhere in the world is facing one economic or security crisis or the other. And so, it is important to understand that we are not alone.
But what we can do is not allow criminals and individuals that have lost out to take advantage of this to destroy our country. We should realise that these destructions, monies have to be used to replace them so that we can move forward.
“We know we are challenged as a nation but we know we will overcome working together as Nigerians… Let us avoid anything that will bring mayhem to our country,” he said.
He warned that the military will be professional in its conduct and ensure the prosecution of anyone caught looting and/or stealing, saying, “We will take action and the action we will take, we will take it professionally. Anyone that is caught will be taken to court and will be dealt with.
