Nigeria’s military pledges intervention to prevent violence at upcoming protests

Nigeria's military has announced it will step in to prevent any violence during planned protests set to start next month. Defence spokesperson Major General Edward Buba made the declaration on Thursday, emphasizing the military's readiness to act if the demonstrations, scheduled to begin on August 1, descend into chaos.

Buba acknowledged that while Nigerians have a right to protest peacefully, there are concerns that these demonstrations could become violent, citing recent unrest in Kenya where protests led to the government scrapping $2.7 billion in tax hikes and over 50 deaths. He stressed that the military would not allow Nigeria to descend into a similar state of anarchy.

"The level of violence anticipated could be described as a state of anarchy. The armed forces will not stand by and let the nation spiral into such conditions," Buba stated. "Therefore, troops will act decisively to prevent such occurrences."

The upcoming protests are being organized online in response to a severe cost of living crisis, with inflation reaching a 28-year high of 34.2 per cent following a series of economic reforms implemented by President Bola Tinubu since last year.

In response, the government has requested more time to address these hardships, and the police chief has cautioned against the protests, attributing them to "self-appointed crusaders and influencers."

Protest organizers assert their right to peaceful demonstration and view the government’s warnings of potential violence as a pretext for a possible crackdown. The military’s intervention echoes the situation from October 2020, when protests against police brutality, known as EndSars, resulted in at least 12 deaths, according to Amnesty International.