We’ll do everything to avert another #EndSARS protests – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed plans by his administration to prevent the reoccurrence of the #EndSARS protest, a campaign by young activities against police brutality and injustice.

Minister of Police Affairs, Mr Maigari Dingyadi, said the President had pledged to deploy every power at his disposal to ensure that a protest of that magnitude would not happen again in the country.

The minister spoke with journalists after the quarterly National Security Council (NSC) meeting presided over by Buhari in the State House.

The #EndSARS protests, which started as peaceful rallies later degenerated into an orgy of violence as hoodlums later took advantage of it to loot, vandalise and burn public and private assets, including police stations.

Many policemen and other protesters were reportedly killed or maimed either by the hoodlums or security personnel invited to quell the riotous situation.

Dingyadi listed the President’s action plans against such protests to including involvement of all stakeholders such as the youth, religious leaders and traditional rulers in the process of peace maintenance in Nigeria.

Buhari also told the meeting that the government would continue to exhibit bureaucratic and humane attitudes in addressing security matters.

The President also pledged to give whatever it would require to support security chiefs in the discharge of their responsibilities, the minister added.

Dingyadi said, “In his concluding remarks, Mr President thanked members (of the NSC) for the efforts they are making in maintaining peace and assured members that he would do whatever it takes to support security agencies in providing peace in the country.

“Mr President assured Nigerians that he would do whatever it takes to ensure the repeat of #EndSARS protests does not occur in Nigeria again. Mr President reassured that all stakeholders would be involved in the process of maintaining peace in the country, particularly the youth, community leaders, traditional rulers, politicians, public servants and religious leaders.

“The Federal Government will continue to maintain its bureaucratic, humane and just postures in handling security matters in the country.”

On whether the action plan meant the President would ensure a clampdown on #EndSARS protesters should they attempt to protest again, Dingyadi said the President meant that he would continue to engage citizens with a view to avoiding the level of destruction that accompanied the last protests.

“On the issue of #EndSARS that you have raised, what we are saying is that government will continue to engage in dialogue. It will continue to listen and carry all stakeholders along in ensuring that there is no repeat of what happened that destroyed a lot of properties – public and private individuals’ in this country,” he said.

The minister added that the meeting was convened to brief Buhari on the security situation in the country and the increasing insecurity in the North.

According to him, the meeting resolved to be more proactive in handling security matters, adding that greater attention would be paid to police affairs, particularly in the discharge of their responsibilities.

“The National Security Council was convened to brief Mr President about the security situation in the country.

“The meeting noted with concern the increasing cases of armed banditry particularly in the northwestern and northeastern parts of the country. The meeting agreed to be more proactive in dealing with the situation in a more decisive manner.

“The meeting noted the need to pay greater attention to the police in the discharge of their functions to maintain peace in the country, in the areas of equipment and modern technology,” he said.

The minister said the council had timelines and targets aimed at ending security threats and promised that such targets would involve decisive and inclusive actions.

“It’s an all-inclusive action that is going to be taken to ensure that in terms of technology, equipment, we can face these challenges head-on,” he said.

On whether the police had resumed to duties after they were displaced by hoodlums who hijacked the #EndSARS’ protest, Maigari said, “I informed the council that the police are very much on their duty posts unlike what people are saying. We receive daily situation reports from across the states and that is a good indicator that the police are very much at their duty posts. They are also on the road and they are working 24 hours.

“But I will agree with you when you say that police are not everywhere. We cannot be everywhere because of our number, equipment; but we are doing all we can to ensure that we cover as much as we can and to protect as many lives as we can to ensure that there is peace in this country.”

He also spoke on the security situation on Abuja-Kaduna road, saying the police and the army were on a 24-hour joint patrol on the road.

He added that the police had their separate formations along the road.

“You see, once a small thing happens in a particular place like this Kaduna, we begin to talk about lack of security in that area. That place is being monitored 24 hours. There are police and the army who are on a kind of joint patrol on 24 hours’ basis. We also have our own separate police formation that is also on that road,” he said.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, were at the meeting.

The service chiefs in attendance at the meeting are the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar; Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufa’i; and Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi.

Other ministers at the meeting are Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd.)(Defence), Mr. Rauf Aregbesola (Interior), Chief Geoffrey Onyeama (Foreign Affairs), and Mr Maigari Dingyadi (Police Affairs), and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.).