DSS Uncovers Sponsors of August 1 Protest, Issues Stern Warning

The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a stern warning against a planned nationwide protest scheduled for August 1, aimed at highlighting hardship in the country. According to the agency, it has identified the sponsors behind the protest and cautioned them against proceeding, citing national interest.

In a press statement released on Thursday by the Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Dr. Peter Afunanya, and made available to Vanguard, the DSS expressed concerns about the potential for the protest to be hijacked by hoodlums, leading to chaos and violence.

The statement suggested that the ultimate goal of the protest organizers is to incite a regime change. It reads in part: “The DSS has followed the discourse on planned protests in parts of the country in the coming weeks by persons and groups yet to identify themselves publicly as leaders of the plot.

While peaceful protest is a democratic right of citizens, the Service has confirmed a sinister plan by some elements to infiltrate the protest and use it to cause chaos and extreme violence in the land. It has also identified the reason behind the protest to be political.

“The plotters desire to use the intended violent outcome to smear the federal and sub-national governments, making them unpopular and pitting them against the masses. The long-term objective is to achieve a regime change, especially at the Centre.

“The Service has also identified the funding lines, sponsors, and collaborators of the plot. However, it does not believe that aggression should be the first line of action in this instance. Instead, it has applied various non-kinetic and conflict resolution strategies, including moral suasion, stakeholder engagement, and other multi-track diplomatic approaches, to dissuade the planners from actualizing their undesirable objective.

“Based on the foregoing, the Service wishes to warn all protest groups to avoid any form of proposed rage, anarchy, and spoliation.”

The DSS’s warning highlights the tension surrounding the planned protest and underscores the agency’s proactive measures to maintain stability in the country.