The Nigerian military on Friday warned looters taking advantage of the nationwide protests to desist from violence and looting both private and public properties.
At a press conference in Abuja on the second day of the rallies against economic hardship and high cost of living, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, said the extent of destruction experienced on the first day of the demonstrations was “crazy”.
He said the Armed Forces will take action and won’t allow the looting and destruction to fester.
The defence chief said the Bola Tinubu administration has been in power for one year and the government has been doing its best to boost economic activities.
General Musa said Nigeria’s economic crisis and high cost of living is a global phenomenon. He urged Nigerians to give the government time to address the challenges.
He said, “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.”