Rita Odafe
Festus Keyamo
Festus Keyamo, who serves as the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has made remarks regarding the ongoing protests targeting bad governance and hunger issues in the country.
He pointed out that criminals have taken advantage of the situation to engage in looting and other criminal activities.
Keyamo mentioned that individuals who normally conduct robberies under the cover of darkness have now been emboldened to carry out their unlawful acts in broad daylight, using the protest as a shield.
Moreover, the minister highlighted that the organizers of the hunger protest labeled as ‘EndbadgovernanceinNigeria’ failed to grasp the responsibility that comes with initiating a protest.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) expressed these views on Thursday via his social media platform, in response to the looting of the Nigeria Communications Commission’s Industrial Park in Kano by troublemakers who had infiltrated the peaceful protest.
Keyamo stressed that while peaceful protest is a constitutional right, careful consideration must be given to the management of protesters before rallying them.
“What has essentially occurred is that individuals predisposed to robbery or who are already engaged in nighttime robberies now have been provided with the authorization and freedom to commit crimes openly during the day under the guise of a ‘legitimate’ protest.
“Therefore, the advice is that, although peaceful protests are legitimate, one should not call for a protest without the ability to control its direction,” Keyamo emphasized.
