President Muhammadu Buhari has advised youths in the country against embarking on further protests over police brutality and extrajudicial killings in the country.

He said this during a nationwide broadcast on Thursday.

He explained that the #EndSARS protesters’ failure to take advantage of initiatives designed by his administration may result to chaos, noting that undermining national security won’t be tolerated.

He said,

We shall continue to ensure that liberty and freedom, as well as the fundamental rights of all citizens are protected.

But remember that government also has the obligation to protect lives and properties, as well as the right of citizens to go about their daily businesses freely and protected from acts of violence.

In the circumstances, I would like to appeal to protesters to note and take advantage of the various well-thought-out initiatives of this administration designed to make their lives better and more meaningful, and resist the temptation of being used by some subversive elements to cause chaos with the aim of truncating our nascent democracy.

For you to do otherwise will amount to undermining national security and the law and order situation. Under no circumstances will this be tolerated.

I therefore call on our youths to discontinue the street protests and constructively engage government in finding solutions. Your voice has been heard loud and clear and we are responding.

We will continue to improve good governance and our democratic process, including through sustained engagement.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.