The Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) has issued a call for proper coordination and a united front as the planned peaceful hunger protest begins. The association emphasizes that this approach is crucial to achieving the desired outcome and maintaining public support. While acknowledging the citizens’ right to express their grievances, CRAN also stresses the importance of coordination and strategy to ensure the protest’s success.

CRAN advises protesters to have a contingency plan in place to ensure their safety and security during the protest. The association also urges security agents to handle the situation civilly and professionally, respecting the rights of citizens to express their grievances without resorting to excessive force or intimidation. It is emphasized that protesters should not be treated as criminals as long as they operate within the legal framework for peaceful assembly and expression.

Additionally, CRAN warns protesters of the potential for their protest to be hijacked by miscreants or rival groups, drawing on the experience of the hijacked EndSARS protest. The association recalls the widespread destruction, chaos, and loss that ensued when the initially peaceful EndSARS movement was taken over by disruptive elements. Innocent lives were lost, families were torn apart, livelihoods were destroyed, properties were vandalized, businesses were looted, and critical infrastructure was damaged. The economic losses are still being counted, but the human cost remains immeasurable, with the trauma and pain inflicted on families who lost loved ones still taking years to heal.

CRAN urges the government to listen to the protesters’ demands and address their grievances as the best way to prevent violence and maintain public trust. The association reiterates its appeal to security agents to remember their duty to protect and serve the people, not to suppress and intimidate them. Security agents are reminded that protesters are fellow citizens, and their struggles are shared by all.

The Nigeria Police Force, as the leading security agency, is specifically called upon not to be used to perpetuate violence and brutality against unarmed citizens. Instead, CRAN urges the police to stand with the people and protect their rights to peaceful assembly and free speech. The association asserts that history will judge security agents not by their obedience to orders, but by their courage to stand up for what is right.

CRAN concludes with a call for unity and cooperation to build a Nigeria where security agents are respected and celebrated for their role in protecting and serving the people, rather than feared and reviled for suppressing and intimidating them. The statement ends with a patriotic note, wishing long life to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.