By CHARLES ADEYINKA

Former Labour Party presidential aspirant, Okey Samuel Mbonu, on Tuesday issued a statement from Washington, DC, USA, encouraging the youth and people of Nigeria “on their determination to end the brutality of the Nigerian law enforcement agencies, especially the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and its Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), and Mobile Police (MOPOL) Units; the Department of State Security (DSS/SSS), and other secret police agencies in Nigeria.”

Mbonu also condemned a press release from the Nigerian Army, signed by its Spokesperson Sagir Musa, announcing that the army would commence a nationwide operation named CROCODILE SMILE VI, nationwide, starting October 20, 2020 and ending December 31, 2020, which would include “Cyberwarfare”.

Mbonu stated that the inclusion of “Cyberwarfare” to the said operation “seems designed to undermine, intimidate and incriminate the youths; whose means of communication, amid their peaceful protest, are mostly Cyber.” He said that the Nigerian Army already had a full hand with terrorists in Northeast Nigeria, who already threaten the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

The former presidential aspirant “warned that a heavy-handed approach to peaceful protests for change would be contrary to everyone’s constitutionally guaranteed rights to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government, or to address socio-political matters of this nature.”

He warned that “any illegitimate and unruly use of force against youthful or other peaceful protesters in Nigeria; would certainly have international repercussions, even after certain actors leave office.”