The secret police issued a warning to individuals using hate speech to incite conflict or unite Nigerians against either the current or upcoming regimes.
Politicians have been cautioned by the Department of State Services (DSS) to stop using “hate speech” and other “false narratives” to incite violence or divide the populace against the administrations of President Muhammadu Buhari or Bola Tinubu, who will take office in the coming months.
The DSS’s spokesman, Peter Afunanya, said in a statement on Saturday that politics will be consumed by violence, leading to the dissolution of law and order.
The secret police warning came after Festus Keyamo, the minister of state for labour and productivity, requested that the DSS invite Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party (LP), and Datti Baba-Ahmed, his vice presidential candidate, due to their rejection of Tinubu as the president-elect.
Afunanya advised individuals “desperate to provoke a breakdown of law and order to refrain from it” and warned the public about intentions to violently disturb the country’s calm.
The statement partially stated, “It would be remembered that the Service had before recommended political participants to abide by the norms of engagement as well as approach the courts for redress, if and when there are suspicions of breaches of existing electoral laws.”
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It is obvious that certain politicians who have been wronged are already abusing the judicial system. Without a doubt, this is democracy’s beauty. This strategy is firmly believed to improve peace and security. Everyone should treasure it.
“But, the DSS will not put up with situations in which individuals or organisations abuse the legal system to promote chaos. At the Federal, State, and Parliamentary levels, those who use fake news, hate speech, and other false narratives to incite violence or unite the populace against the current or future administrations should cease immediately.
“Those who incite violence have nothing to gain since doing so will devour them as well as the defenceless. On the other hand, it is unsettling to see well-known people using their positions to mislead or agitate the public. This does not bode well for peaceful cohabitation or general order, to put it mildly.
The Service will thus keep taking the required steps to neutralise these elements that do not wish the country well. This is done to make sure that residents and citizens have a favourable environment in which to do their legal enterprises. They believe that a stitch in time may save nine. Let everyone be led.
