Special Adviser to former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Reno Omokri, has called for the arrest and prosecution of those found guilty of funding the planned protest with funds gotten from foreign agencies, News About Nigeria reports.
He made this call in a statement via his verified handle on X on Tuesday.
He noted that protests are a constitutionally guaranteed right of Nigerians, adding that nobody should stop people from protesting, as long as it is peaceful.
He, however, stated that it is an act of treason to collect money from foreign governments and agencies specifically to ferment protests against the government.
The human rights activist added that those found guilty should be exposed to the public before being prosecuted.
According to Omokri, similar things had happened during the #EndSars Protest, where people collected money from foreign agencies through crypto and used it to enrich themselves.
Omokri maintained that the EndSars Protest would not have received the amount of support it did if the funding had been made public.
“Protests are a constitutionally guaranteed right of Nigerians. And nobody should stop people from protesting, as long as it is peaceful.
“However, it is actually an act of treason to collect money from foreign governments and agencies specifically to ferment protests against your home government. That is an act of subversion, and I urge the office of the National Security Adviser to investigate foreign inflows to accounts of various persons posturing as though they are altruistic.
“Crypto is no longer untraceable in Nigeria, and if anyone has received crypto from foreign governments and agents, they should first be exposed to the public before being prosecuted for treason.
“I am not saying that those behind the protest should be prosecuted. I am saying that if those behind the demonstrations got money from a foreign government or agency, then they should be prosecuted. And if that is the case, then those following them should be made aware that they are following paid provocateurs and foreign agents.
“Many of us would not have supported EndSARS if we had known that some organisers had received massive funding through Bitcoin. They never told us. We only found out AFTER the fact. And today, those individuals are living large,” he stated.
