Bello, describing it as primitive, provocative, and barbaric.
CUPP in a statement signed by Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere said “illegally
banning legitimate and peaceful protest by Nigerians expressing their
right to air their views and anger over brutal actions of an incompetent
and brutal regime being visited on the people with the support of the
regimes brutal security forces,” is illegal.
“It must be stated that instead of addressing the genuine issues of the
protesters, agents of the Federal Government, its agencies, allies, and
supporters have resorted to hiring armed thugs to attack the peaceful
protesters. This act is not only provocative and barbaric, but it is
also illegal, autocratic, primitive, and capable of igniting more
confusion and clear signs government is not ready to end brutality
against citizens.
“The opposition hereby warns the ruling APC, their armed groups and
security forces to respect the constitutional rights of the patriotic
young Nigerians to protest and not hide under the cover of Covid-19
regulations which government officials have not obeyed themselves as a
reason to ban protests.
“That statement from the Nigerian Army threatening peaceful Nigerians is
a joke taken too far. The protests are wholly a civil action and do not
in any way concern the Army. Or is a day like this why the President has
refused to sack the Service Chiefs? Nigerians are in shock and the
entire world is amazed that we could degenerate so quickly to such a
pre-civilization era.
“CUPP urges the Federal Government to focus on ending brutality of
security forces and insecurity worsened by a corruption ridden
administration. Good students of history will tell this government that
such violent suppression that it plans against innocent peaceful
citizens has never worked and will not work. It will only backfire.
“Handlers of the President are hereby advised to continue telling the
President until he hears that addressing the issues is the only way out
and not this plot to deploy primitive force and avoidable loss of
lives.”