The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has issued a stern warning to Nigerians against resorting to violence under the guise of protecting their votes during the 2027 general elections.
Keyamo cautioned that anyone who takes up arms, attacks others or engages in violent self-help during elections could be lawfully neutralised by security operatives acting in the course of their duties.
The minister gave the warning in a statement posted on his X account on Tuesday, reaffirming a position previously expressed by former President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He accused some politicians of allegedly encouraging unsuspecting citizens and suspected thugs to engage in electoral violence while making arrangements to keep their own children safely outside the country.
According to Keyamo, such politicians are putting the lives of ordinary Nigerians at risk by persuading them to take up weapons and fight under the pretext of protecting electoral mandates.
“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 stated.
Referring to Buhari’s warning before the 2019 elections, Keyamo maintained that security agencies were justified in taking lawful action against individuals who carried dangerous weapons, attacked others and resorted to violence in the name of protecting their votes.
He further warned those contemplating such actions to understand the legal consequences of confronting security operatives during the electoral process.
The minister also alleged that politicians instigating electoral violence would have their children watching events unfold from the safety of foreign countries while ordinary citizens bear the consequences.
Concluding his message, Keyamo declared: “Having been forewarned, you can then go ahead and exercise your options. CHIKENA!!”
