The Alliance for Survival of COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), a coalition of labour and civil society groups being led by a human rights activist, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), has warned the Buhari administration against deploying soldiers to disperse protesters from the streets.
Falana, issued a statement in Abuja yesterday on behalf of ASCAB and he vowed to report the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, to the International Criminal Court (ICC), in The Hague if soldiers kill any protesters.
He urged the federal government to withdraw plans to use soldiers to quell the protests that have rocked major cities across Nigeria.
The statement was issued following the announcement by the Nigerian Army to commence ‘Exercise Crocodile Smile VI’ from Tuesday till December 31, as part of its effort to enhance national security.
Falana, who is the Chairman of ASCAB, warned that “Buhari should not invite soldiers to resolve a purely democratic issue that calls for dialogue and constructive engagement.” ASCAB noted that protests have common features across the world as seen in Hong Kong, the United States, France, South Africa, and Belarus and even in Sudan.
In his statement, he added that soldiers were not deployed to stop the protesters in any of those countries. He also added that the Operation Crocodile Smile has been declared illegal by a Nigerian court following legal actions he (Falana) filed.
He added that Buratai attempted to challenge the order of the court but was met by a brick wall.
