Defence Minister warns against violent risks in proposed protests

The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has cautioned against the potential consequences of recent calls for protests being circulated by influential social media figures in Nigeria.

Speaking on the development, the Defence Minister noted that while the right to peaceful protest is not restricted, there are concerns that such demonstrations could be hijacked by violent actors, leading to injuries or fatalities.

“I have been seeing of recent some social media giants in Nigeria going around trying to rise protests. Nobody is stopping anyone from protesting, but we should always remember the unintended consequences, because these protests might be hijacked and people might be killed or injured,” he said.

He further emphasized ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Defence to improve public understanding of military operations, particularly in conflict-prone regions such as the North East, North West, and North Central.

According to him, the Ministry is considering embedding selected media professionals with troops during active operations.

This initiative, he explained, is aimed at providing journalists and media experts with firsthand exposure to the realities, challenges, and risks faced by Nigerian armed forces in the field.

“We are making efforts to provide avenues for some of these media experts to be embedded with our troops when they are going on an operation… so that they can have a feel of what they troops go through and the challenges ahead. Maybe they’ll have a better understanding,” he added.

Watch him speak below …