Nigerian Flag Will Not Save You From Army !

How true is claim that holding Nigerian flag would prevent
soldiers from shooting protesters?

#EndSARS protesters holding the Nigerian flag as they protest
police brutality in Lagos on Oct. 20. Photo Credit: SUNDAY
ALAMBA/ASSOCIATED PRESS 3 mins read

Claim: Some Twitter users claim that holding the
Nigerian flag by protesters will prevent soldiers from shooting
them.

No Evidence. There is no evidence to back up the claim. Full
Text

Since thousands of Nigerians started calling for the end to
police brutality and total reform of the Nigerian Police, there has
been a lot of information circulating in the media space. One of
the viral ones is the claim that holding a Nigerian flag during a
protest will prevent the Army from shooting. According to some of
the tweets, the information was given by a retired colonel.

Several twitter users posted the claim urging others to continue
retweeting. A twitter user identified as Davvyd Moore
(@davvydmoore) posted the claim.

Moore’s tweet reads; “They plan to deploy some Nigerian Army to
stop protesters. Pls everyone should get a Nigerian Flag because no
army will dare shoot at any Nigerian holding a flag. Advised by a
retired Colonel It is a military code. #ENDSARS #EndSarsNow
#BetterTogether.”

As of Thursday October 22, the post has garnered over
600 retweets, over 500 Likes and 19 comments.

One of the respondents to Moore’s tweet wrote; “Time to
mass-produce the flag for all peaceful protesters.”

Another twitter user, Charly Chap (@CharlyChap2) also posted;
“All Protesters should get hold of a Nigerian flag. No military
formation will move against a crowd of Nigerians waving the
Nigerian flag. Get your Nigerian flag now. Please spread the
news.”

Since the emergence of this information, Dubawa has observed
that many Nigerians havefollowed the instruction by holding the
Nigeria flag during protests.

A video footage posted by Omoyele Sowore (@Yelesowore), a former
presidential candidate, shows thousands of protesters holding
Nigerian flags while calling for the end of police brutality and a
total scrapping of SARS. Verification

Dubawa reached out to a retired colonel, Chinedu
Owhonda, to ask questions on the circulating
information.

Col. Owhonda said there is no such rule and that neither is
there a written constitution in the army that restricts the
soldiers from shooting protesters holding Nigerian flags.

He said, “for the benefit of doubt, your country flag has a
representation and the symbol is you respect it by not harming
anyone with the flag, but I have not seen it written anywhere that
anyone holding the Nigerian flag should not be shot”.

Owhonda told Dubawa that the flag symbolises something and there
is no harm that will be made to somebody who identifies with it,
“For instance, during the war if you enter a church or a mosque, in
the conventional setting, no one can kill you.”

A check by Dubawa indicates that there is no record where
Nigerian flag prevented the Army from shooting protesters.

During the #EndSARS protest in Lekki toll gate on
October 20, 2020 despite unarmed protesters holding the Nigeria
flag and singing the National Anthem, military officers still
attacked and killed several persons and left many injured.
What the law says

The Nigerian constitution and the Armed Forces Law do not have a
provision that holding Nigerian Flag will prevent the Army from
shooting, a check by Dubawa shows.

Section 217 (2) (c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)
provides that Nigeria’s armed forces shall suppress insurrection
and act in aid of civil authority to restore order when called upon
to do so by the President, commander-in-chief reinforced by Sect(8)
(1) and (3) of the Armed Forces Act, Laws of the Federation of
Nigeria, (LFN) 2004 requires the troops to use necessary force to
quell crisis resulting in deaths, injury and damages to
properties.

The Armed Forces Law expands this, citing the instances when the
force could be used.

A section of the Armed Forces Act reads, “Force shall be used
only when absolutely necessary to achieve an immediate aim; the
decisions to open fire shall be made only on orders and under the
control of the on-scene commander, unless there is time to obtain
such order”, adding that fire can however be opened if the life of
a soldier, any law-abiding member of the public and/or property of
which it is the duty the force to protect is in grave danger then
fire must be aimed at controlled, and indiscriminate firing is not
permitted.” Conclusion

With the evidence gathered, holding a Nigeria flag cannot stop
the army from shooting protesters as such provision is not stated
in the Nigerian constitution nor is it written as part of the Army
rules.

article courtesy Dubawa