Hardship protests: Babangida opens up on 'endorsing' military coup in Nigeria

• Former Nigerian leader, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) has distanced himself from a statement credited to him on X
• Legit.ng reports that IBB was quoted to have said that Nigeria had the best years under the military and that democracy made things worse for the nation
• However, Babangida denied the comments in a statement from the IBB media office signed by Mahmoud Abdullahi

Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs.

Minna, Niger state - General Ibrahim Babangida, a former military head of state, has said claims that he endorsed a military takeover due to the current hardship in Nigeria is fake.

As reported by Vanguard newspaper, a parody account on X (formerly Twitter), @General_Ibbro, posted recently that Babangida endorsed the virtues of military rule over democratic governance.

Gen Ibrahim Babangida has dissociated himself from an X account which recently made a post portraying him as endorsing the virtues of military rule over democratic governance. Photo credit: @jarmari01
Source: Twitter

Protests: Babangida disowns X account

The social media user’s comment comes amid the protests against hardship in several Nigeria cities which is in its fifth day.

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Africa Independent Television (AIT) also noted the rebuttal from the former Nigerian leader.

Denying the report on Sunday, August 4, Babangida through his media office signed by Mahmud Abdullahi asserted that “the solution to our problems as he had said previously, is ‘more’ democracy, not less”.

The statement partly reads:

“Our attention has been drawn to a post on a parody account on X, formerly known as Twitter, which carries the handle, @General_Ibbro, in which former President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR, was supposed to have endorsed the virtues of military rule over democratic governance.“This dubious account carries our principal’s picture and name and the coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for added effect but it does not belong to him nor does the former President sanction any post appearing there.”

Babangida added:

“As a nation, we are currently facing a number of challenges but the former president has always expressed the view that we will eventually overcome these challenges and come out a stronger, more progressive nation."The solution to our problems as he had said previously, is ‘more’ democracy, not less.”

Read more on Nigeria's protests

• End Bad Governance: Fear of foreign interference as protesters wave Russian flags, photos emerge
• Peter Obi reacts as '17' killed in Nigeria’s hardship protests, "struggle for a better nation"
• End Bad Governance: Pro-protest lawyer tells Tinubu what to do to ‘quell anger’

‘Withdraw immediately from protest’ - police

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) advised those taking part in the 10-day 'End Bad Governance' protest to "immediately withdraw from it".

In a statement by its spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the police said the ongoing protest (billed to end on Saturday, August 10) "has obviously turned violent".

Source: Legit.ng