Borno state Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum has today warned the promoters of the EndSARS protest to learn a lesson from the Boko Haram incident that started as a youth protest and ended up as a global security problem.
Borno state which has remained the epicenter of Boko Haram in the last decade, the governor recalled that the incident started as a youth protest against the use of motorcycle helmet enforced by the then government of Borno state through security agencies in the state capital.
The governor, therefore, urged the youth to trade with caution as he said violence has never been a way out of any problem advising them to tear the side of peace to negotiate things out.
Zulum was speaking to journalists at the statehouse shortly after he finished briefing President Buhari about the security situation in his state.
He cautioned that consequently over a million innocent persons have been displaced while the arrowheads of the protest have runaway to various destinations with their families leaving the youth behind to suffer.
The governor said, “On the issue of #EndSARS, I am calling on all Nigerians especially the youths to be very careful.
He added, “The whole Boko Haram saga started as a result of the protests by some youths in Maiduguri against the use of helmet by motorcycle riders. You have seen the situation now.
He, therefore, enjoin the youth to always exhaust dialogue before resorting to confrontation saying, “Over one million people have been displaced and the most affected population are the vulnerable, the youth.
According to him, the EndSARS protesters were in haste without reckoning the outcome. He said they should learn from Borno state what self-destruction means and how it affects everybody, in the end, warning that as his state is enjoying the fragile peace at the moment, he does not want anything to disrupt it again.
He disclosed that now, “We are giving them some certain financial supports and I think the best way every Nigerian should seek for his/her right is through legitimate means, otherwise we are not going anywhere. Peace is very important,”
