Discos warn against destruction of property, power facilities during protests

The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors has urged protesters to refrain from destroying property, including those belonging to distribution companies, amid the ongoing demonstrations.

Discos emphasised that while protesting is a fundamental right, it becomes a criminal act when protesters destroy public property.

Since the protests began on 1 August, incidents of violence and property destruction have been recorded in various parts of the country.

Notable destruction occurred in states such as Kano, Borno, Yobe, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, Niger, and Jigawa.

The Information and Communication Technology Centre in Kano, which was scheduled for commissioning next week, was raided by protesters and set ablaze.

In an interview with Sunday PUNCH, the Executive Director of Research & Advocacy at Discos, Sunday Oduntan, cautioned against repeating the property destruction seen during the #EndSARS protests.

“There was a lot of damage during the last #EndSARS protest. We cannot continue to destroy our property in the name of protest,” Oduntan said.

“Those engaging in violent demonstrations are very unpatriotic. They don’t love Nigeria.”

Similarly, the Director of Media for Arewa Youths for Tinubu, Isyaku Baba, condemned the destruction of property by protesters.

“Destruction of property is totally against the purpose of the protest,” Baba stated.

“Protests are a vital part of democracy because they enable citizens to participate in the political process beyond voting. But destroying public property is wrong. The situation we had in some parts, like Kano, is no longer a protest but violence.”