Bashir Magashi, minister of defence, says over 60 percent of #EndSARS protesters don’t know why they participated in the demonstrations.
On Saturday, a second wave of the #EndSARS protest began in Lagos under the #OccupyLekkiTollGate rally, with more than 30 protesters, including Debo Adebayo, a Nigerian comedian better known as Mr Macaroni, arrested by security operatives.
The protesters have, however, been arraigned before a mobile court in Lagos, and granted bail.
Speaking on Saturday after participating in the revalidation exercise of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano, the minister alleged that some of the protesters are rogues and thieves.
“I am the minister of defence and the defence of this country is entirely my responsibility. We have the mandate to ensure that the lives and property of people are protected,” he said.
“There is a basic responsibility of the government, and that is to protect every Nigerian, whoever he is. We always believe that given the necessary intelligence, no agent of government will sit down and fold its hands without doing something.
“This #EndSARS issue, if you recall, the minister of information has briefed this nation and alerted that something like this is coming; and we know we are always prepared. This is our job, to ensure internal security.
“We must plan for it. We don’t want to be taken by surprise. And if you want us to be taken by surprise, then, there is no need to call us protectors. If #EndSARS is to take place today, we will ensure that we have peaceful counter plans that we will put in place to ensure that mistakes are not made in protecting the people.
“You know the composition of the EndSARS crowd. Over 60 percent of them are people who don’t even know why they are there. They just come to take part. Some of them are rogues; some are there to steal. They want to do whatever they think. There are a few actual people.”
The minister added that the government will not allow “unpatriotic elements” to destabilise the country under any guise.
