Intelligence shows foreign mercenaries involved in planned protest, says Egbetokun

Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police (IGP), says the police have “credible intelligence” that foreign mercenaries are involved in the planned nationwide protest.

Egbetokun spoke in Abuja on Friday at a press conference.

In the past few days, there have been reports of a youth-led planned nationwide protest over the economic hardship in the country.

The planned protest has been slated to commence on August 1.

The federal and state governments, including President Bola Tinubu, have appealed to the youths to shelve the planned protest.

Religious and traditional institutions have equally called for the cancellation of the planned demonstration.

The military and the Department of State Services (DSS) said there are indications that the protest would be hijacked to perpetuate violence.

Egbetokun cautioned that a peaceful protest in the country at the moment may be “ill-timed”.

“We note those who have spoken out against any form of protest at this critical juncture, fearing enemies of our country may be manipulating the process,” the IGP said.

“We confirm that their fears are genuine, as we have credible intelligence of foreign mercenaries’ involvement in this planned protest.

“The Nigeria Police urge Nigerians to exercise caution and think twice before joining any protest group while we alert citizens to the sinister motive of certain groups planning to wreak havoc.

“It has become clear that even a peaceful protest at this time may be ill-timed.

“We issue a strong warning to clandestine groups planning to destabilise the country and hoodlums seeking to exploit the protest for their criminal agenda.”

Egbetokun said the police acknowledged the constitutional right of Nigerians to peaceful assembly, adding that the police will provide security cover during the protest.

“To facilitate an incident-free protest, they (organisers of protest) should please provide the following information: one, proposed protest route and assembly point; two, expected duration of protest; three, names and contact details of protest leaders and organisers; four, measures to prevent hijacking by criminal elements, including key identifiers of possible isolation of potential troublemakers,” he said.

The IGP said the police are ready to work with all Nigerians to promote “peaceful expression and maintain public order”.