By Gbenga Abulude (Politics and General Desk)
Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum has asked the federal government to tread cautiously in its handling of #EndSARS protesters as the Boko Haram crisis which has engulfed Nigeria’s North East started through similar protests.
Zulum who tasked the protesters to hearken to government’s message that their demands would be met, urged them to be aware of those with ulterior motives of leveraging on their genuine intentions to wreck havoc, including hijacking the peaceful protest for selfish ends.
The Governor who made the statement while speaking with newsmen on Friday after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari stated that it was painful to discover that some of the persons who instigated the crisis in the state left when the situation went out of hand.
He said, “On the issue of ENDSARS, I am calling on all Nigerians especially the youths to be very careful. The whole Boko Haram saga started as a result of the protest by some youths in Maiduguri against the use of helmet by motorcycle riders, you have seen the situation now.
“Over one million people have been displaced and the most affected population are the vulnerable, the youths. Some of those that led the protests have left Borno state, they are either staying in Abuja or Lagos or abroad. We have to be very careful.”
Zulum added that the #EndSARS protest did not degenerate into crisis in Borno because of how the government handled it.
He added, “In Borno State, the entire situation did not take such dimension as that of Lagos because we told them to sit down and examine the situation and recall the past when the situation was so bad.
“Now, there is emerging peace in Borno State, and we don’t want anybody to disrupt the peace. The youths are with us, we are taking very good care of them, palliatives were distributed to them as when due, we are giving them some certain financial support and I think the best way every Nigerian should seek for his/her right is through legitimate means, otherwise we are not going anywhere. Peace is very important.”
Recall that the #EndSARS protests against police brutality and extra judicial killings was held different parts of the country, majorly in the southern part of Nigeria for two weeks before it was hijacked by hoodlums who attacked and vandalized private and government-owned properties across the country.
