The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has asked military commanders to tackle looters who have been ransacking public and private property across the country.
He directed them to bring sanity to the society immediately.
For nearly one week, hoodlums have seized the #EndSARS protests, disregarded curfews imposed by many state governors as they engaged in looting spree.
They have been looting many commodity stores, strategic reserves of federal and state governments purportedly in search of COVID-19 palliatives and also descending on shops, malls, commercial and private properties of individuals and corporate bodies.
Symbols of authority like police stations and custodial centres have not been spared by the rampaging assailants.
Observers believed that the hoodlums were emboldened by the “relaxed disposition” of security operatives especially the police who are mandated to maintain civil authority in the land.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu had on Saturday ordered the immediate deployment of operational assets and resources to bring an end to wanton violence, killings, looting, and destruction of public and private property.
He directed his officers and men to reclaim the public space from criminal elements masquerading as protesters in some parts of the country.
Four days after the directive, violence occasioned by thievery continued unabated in many states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with security experts saying something urgent must be done to stem the tide.
