Keyamo warns against violence in guise of vote protection

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has warned Nigerians against taking up arms under the guise of protecting their votes during the 2027 general elections.

Keyamo cautioned that individuals who resort to violence or attack others while claiming to protect their votes could be lawfully neutralised by security operatives in the course of their duties.

The minister stated this in a post on his X account on Tuesday, while reiterating a position expressed by former President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 general elections, which he said he supported.

He accused some politicians of encouraging citizens and suspected thugs to take up weapons and engage in violence during elections, while allegedly ensuring the safety of their own children by sending them abroad.

“After safely ferrying their children abroad, some unscrupulous politicians are encouraging hapless citizens and thugs to take up weapons to kill one another under the pretext of ‘protecting their votes’,” he said.

Referring to Buhari’s pre-2019 election warning, Keyamo said it was legitimate for law enforcement agents to neutralise individuals who resorted to self-help, carried dangerous weapons and attacked others under the pretext of protecting their votes.

He added that those contemplating such actions should understand the possible consequences of confronting security operatives.

Keyamo also alleged that the children of politicians encouraging electoral violence would be watching events from safe locations outside the country. “Having been forewarned, you can then go ahead and exercise your options. CHIKENA!!” he added.