Addressing a joint press conference alongside Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Egbetokun highlighted the measured approach to managing the crisis, pointing out that law enforcement has exercised restraint by not utilizing water cannons or rubber bullets.
Nigeria's Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has revealed that security forces have successfully identified and disrupted external funding channels supporting the #EndBadGovernance protests.
Addressing a joint press conference alongside Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Egbetokun highlighted the measured approach to managing the crisis, pointing out that law enforcement has exercised restraint by not utilizing water cannons or rubber bullets.
Egbetokun addressed the shooting of an innocent protester in Kubwa, Abuja, clarifying, “Nobody fired gunshots and we didn’t use force. In the midst of the protest, we arrested criminals who stole and committed other offences.”
General Musa, speaking on behalf of the Nigerian military, revealed that the nation’s armed forces are set to crack down on individuals who are “agitating” for an undemocratic change of government, saying the “military knows some protesters calling for regime change are sponsored”.
“We are trailing them to bring them to book,” he added.
According to Musa, they are “only after those that are against the state, not the innocent”.
Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja reaffirmed the army's dedication to achieving lasting peace in Nigeria, while maintaining its ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and banditry.
Earlier on Tuesday, SaharaReporters reported that the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap, had announced that the agency was monitoring individuals in the diaspora said to be sponsoring protests advocating for an undemocratic change of government.
Nandap said: “We have diaspora sponsors, they are on our watchlist. They are watchlisted; any attempt they make to come into the country, we’ll be notified and they will be picked up and handed to appropriate authority.”
In response to ongoing protests, the Nigerian Immigration Service said it had also increased its presence at land and airport borders, deploying additional officers to ensure effective monitoring of entry points.
Comptroller General Nandap stated that the Service had also enhanced surveillance to prevent foreign interference in the country's affairs.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) said it had identified some sponsors of the protests, according to Director General Yusuf Bichi, who was represented by Spokesman Peter Afunanya.
While declining to provide further details, Afunanya revealed that certain accounts linked to the sponsors have been blocked, with some individuals operating these accounts from abroad being closely monitored.