The Presidency on Tuesday knocked some northern youths for their recent statement on the security challenges being faced in the country, saying they would have met a harsh retribution from a dictatorial government.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement, told the youths to thank their stars that the nation was operating a truly democratic government, where free speech was guaranteed.
A coalition of northern youth groups had asked the Federal Government to stop the massive killings and raiding of communities in the North by bandits and Boko Haram insurgents.
In separate statements, they decried the deplorable security situation in the North and demanded the immediate removal of the service chiefs.
But Shehu said, “For a start, if the group dared to issue such a comment under non-democratic method, they would have met a swift and harsh retribution from a dictatorial government.
“They should thank their stars that we are operating a truly democratic government, where the rights of free speech are guaranteed and protected.”
But in another statement, the Presidency appealed to Nigerians to exercise more patience, adding that the nation’s military was taking appropriate steps to further tackle challenges of banditry and terrorism being witnessed in parts of the country.
