The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has warned Nigerians against taking up arms under the guise of protecting their votes, saying security agencies are justified in neutralising anyone who attacks others with dangerous weapons….
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has warned Nigerians against taking up arms under the guise of protecting their votes, saying security agencies are justified in neutralising anyone who attacks others with dangerous weapons.
Keyamo gave the warning in a post on his official X account, where he accused some politicians of encouraging violence while ensuring their own children are safely relocated abroad.
He alleged that some politicians, after ferrying their children overseas, were mobilising vulnerable citizens and thugs to take up weapons and kill one another under the pretext of protecting electoral votes.
The minister said law enforcement agents were justified in using force against individuals who resorted to self-help and attacked others with dangerous weapons.
He recalled a warning by former President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 general elections, saying he supported the position then and continued to stand by it.
Keyamo wrote: “When you resort to self-help and you take up dangerous weapons in the guise of ‘protecting your votes’ and you attack anybody, it is lawful and legitimate for law enforcement agents to ‘neutralise’ you or simply ‘put you down’ in the course of their duty.”
He accused political leaders of exposing ordinary citizens to danger while their families remained protected abroad.
“And the children of the politicians will be watching your foolishness from their safe haven somewhere in the world,” he added.
The minister concluded his message with a warning to those considering violence, saying they had been forewarned and could choose how to conduct themselves.
