BEWARE! Proposed Protests Against EFCC, Another Plan For #EndSARs violence – CSOs

…allege former gov, two ex-ministers behind planned action, warn organisers to desist

259 Civil Society Organisations under the aegis of the Coalition for Transparency and Economic Reforms (COTER) have kicked against the Friday July 5, 2024 proposed nationwide protests against the operations of the anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by a group, @PIDOM Nigeria.

The Coalition has also identified some aggrieved politicians, including a former governor of one of the Northern states, two former ministers and others as the brains behind the planned nationwide protests against the EFCC.

“They are behind the promoters of this looming nationwide violence scheduled for Friday July 5, 2024. The major aim of this planned massive violence is to create panic, fear and anarchy and ultimately scuttle the achievements of the current administration of President Bola Tinubu,” it said.

COTER has therefore called on the Federal Government and the various security agencies in the country to act swiftly to prevent the planned nationwide protests at EFCC offices by PIDOM NIGERIA, which it described as another #EndSARS violence in disguise and a disaster waiting to happen.

Recall that PIDOM NIGERIA through its X handle @PIDOMNigeria had recently announced Friday July 5, 2024 as the day for Nigerians to protest at all EFCC offices across the country alleged unprofessional behaviour and perceived failings and excesses of the operatives of the anti-graft agency.

@PIDOMNigeria, which has since been mobilizing Nigerians on social media for the proposed anti-EFCC protests, had urged citizens to storm the anti-graft Agency’s offices to unleash #EndSARS-like actions.

COTER, at a well-attended press conference held at the International Press Centre, Ogba, Lagos, on Wednesday, however, raised the alarm that the utterances of the ‘faceless’ organisers of the planned nationwide protests at EFCC offices were capable of igniting violence and chaos throughout the country, as it happened during the October 20, 2020 #EndSARS riots in which several lives and properly worth trillions of Naira were lost across Nigeria.

The Coalition, in a statement read by its Coordinator, Adeshina Animashaun at the press conference, therefore called on security agencies to immediately nip this burgeoning protests in the bud before they become a conflagration and consume innocent citizens.

COTER noted that hoodlums and other unscrupulous elements are waiting to hijack such protests being planned by PIDOM NIGERIA, which it accused of hiring and even arming the hoodlums to unleash violence on innocent people under the guise of protesting against EFCC’s excesses.

The Coalition also warned Nigerian youths not to allow themselves to be deceived by PIDOM NIGERIA to partake in the planned protest to avoid a situation where they could be made “canon fodders” or become “collateral damage” in the event of any faceoff with security agencies during the illegal action by the “faceless group.”

COTER also enjoined parents and guardians to warn their children and wards against taking part in the proposed anti-EFCC protests scheduled for Friday to avoid regrets later.

COTER added, “We urge our youths in the entire country to disregard the disguised devilish plans of the masterminds of the forthcoming protests against the EFCC. They are unpatriotic people without character. They do not speak for anyone but themselves and their paymasters and should, therefore, be disregarded.

“We also call on parents and guardians all over the country to warn their children/wards against taking part in the July 5 mayhem being planned by disgruntled politicians using Pidom Nigeria. They should warn their younger ones to avoid any gathering organised by the group in any EFCC office on Friday July 5, 2024 in any part of the country to avoid regrets later. We should not allow our children to be used as thugs by people who have kept their own children in safe havens outside this country.”

The full text of the COTER statement reads as follows:

TEXT OF A PRESS STATEMENT BY THE COALITION FOR TRANSPARENCY AND ECONOMIC REFORMS (COTER)  ON THE PLANS BY SOME DISAFFECTED NIGERIANS  TO ORGANISE PROTESTS AT EFCC OFFICES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY ON FRIDAY JULY 5, 2024 USING ARMED THUGS AND OTHER HOODLUMS TO CAUSE MAYHEM ALL OVER NIGERIA AND EVENTUALLY SET THE COUNTRY ABLAZE

Gentlemen of the press, our group, Coalition for Transparency and Economic Reforms (COTER) is an umbrella body of 259 anti-corruption, civil society and human rights groups spread across the country. We are a Non-Governmental Organisation serving as watchdog of government policies and society in general.

We are a law-abiding and patriotic organisation whose major and ultimate objective is probity and transparency in government for quality socio-economic reforms.

Our numerous anti-corruption activities and actions are aimed at assisting the government and the Nigerian people to effectively tackle corruption and corrupt tendencies in high places and achieve probity and transparency for the ultimate benefits of all citizens.

Gentlemen of the press, recent developments in the Nigerian polity, which have elicited serious concerns, apprehension and fears in various quarters, have once again necessitated COTER’s decision not to keep quiet or act complacently. Infact, for us, keeping mum in the face of impending danger posed to the Nigerian state by some criminal elements, will amount to complicity.

Here, we are referring to the planned nationwide protest initiated and being organised by some unpatriotic Nigerians including a faceless X Handle, @PIDOMNigeria to condemn EFCC’s alleged unprofessional behaviour and perceived failings and excesses.

According to PIDOMNigeria, the protest will hold on Friday, 5th of July at EFCC headquarters in Abuja as well as all zonal commands of the Agency. Infact, the various security agencies must act immediately to avoid this looming disaster. It is imperative they take action in order not to allow any individual or group of persons to jeopardise the peace and continued corporate existence of the country.

Any act of insurrection and insurgency against the Nigerian state should no longer be overlooked by the security agencies and the Federal Government.

The major champions and agitators of the planned anti-EFCC protests are disgruntled politicians, who have lost out in the power game. They are now working in cahoots with their allies in other parts of the country with the ultimate ulterior aim of causing mayhem on July 5. These aggrieved politicians we have identified and they include a former governor of one of the Northern states, two former ministers and others. They are behind the promoters of this looming nationwide violence scheduled for Friday July 5, 2024.

The major aim of this planned massive violence is to create panic, fear and anarchy and ultimately scuttle the achievements of the current administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Fortunately, many Nigerian youths have seen through the protest organisers and their group’s tricks and shenanigans.

Nigerian youths and other stakeholders across the country, have come to understand the organizer’s claim that an overwhelming number of youths are ready to partake in the impending mayhem, as a ploy and smokescreen by them to achieve some selfish and devilish objectives.

COTER wants to state without equivocation that the ultimate objective of this ploy by the organisers of the July 5 mayhem, is to achieve nothing salutary or beneficial to the Nigerian people, but to further their evil design to have a repeat of the October 2020 #EndSARS protest and undermine the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

It is a well-known fact that properties worth trillions of Naira, not to talk of invaluable human lives, due to the October 20, 2020 violence that followed the #EndSARS protests and which our dear country is yet to recover from, almost four years after, were lost. We can no longer afford to lose more to the unpatriotic and evil activities of hoodlums masquerading as fighting for those they are claiming to have been maltreated by the EFCC.

In actual fact, many parts of Nigeria are still grappling with and even yet to come to terms with the unimaginable aftermath of the last October 2020 #EndSARS protests. The large scale destruction, especially in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, and other parts of the country, is still shocking to many Nigerians as it is unprecedented.

COTER will therefore like to use this medium to demand Government and security agencies’ immediate action against those planning to set the country ablaze once again under the guise of protesting the alleged violation of their rights by the EFCC and demanding reforms of the anti-graft agency.

COTER, also urge all Nigerians to be resolute in immediately checkmating the plans of these shameless and unpatriotic anti-EFCC protesters, who lack the due respect for democracy, by taking the appropriate actions against them to nip their evil plans in the bud.

These unpatriotic elements and their collaborators should no longer be allowed to further destroy the economic and social well-being of Nigerians in the name of fighting for those ill-treated by the anti-graft agency. We can no longer afford to lose more to the unpatriotic and evil activities of sponsored hoodlums masquerading as protesters.

We urge our youths in the entire country to disregard the disguised devilish plans of the masterminds of the forthcoming protests against EFCC. They are unpatriotic people without character. They do not speak for anyone but themselves and their paymasters and should, therefore, be disregarded.

We also call on parents and guardians all over the country to warn their children/wards against taking part in the July 5 mayhem being planned by disgruntled politicians using PIDOM Nigeria. They should warn their younger ones to avoid any gathering organised by the group in any EFCC office on July 5 in any part of the country to avoid regrets later. We should not allow our children to be used as thugs by people who have kept their own children in safe havens outside this country.

Signed

Dr Peter Chima Chukwu

President, COTER

Mallam Auta Ibrahim Koko

General Secretary, COTER

Adeshina Animashaun

Co-ordinator