From Ajiya Ayuba, Bauchi

The United Civil Society Organizations in Bauchi State on Monday said that there was a need for the Federal Government to take decisive action against foreign interference in our internal affairs.This was contained in a press release by the organization coordinator Aliyu Mukaddas and Mu’azu Bala as Secretary in Bauchi.

The press release read “Foreign interference poses one of the greatest threats to national security, our way of life, and our economic prosperity and sovereignty. We must shine a light on these threats, and come together as a country to defend our nation from any interference”The group urged the federal government to take decisive action against those responsible for the provocative, unpatriotic and divisive act to prevent its future occurrence.The United Civil Society called on the security operatives to continue to maintain peace, law, and order in the country in line with the necessary conventions on human rights to which Nigeria is a signatory, as the safety and security of all Nigerians are paramount.Also emphasizes that the right to peaceful protest is fundamental to the consolidation of democratic governance, the display of foreign symbols in the context is a violation of the laws, national unity and sovereignty that must be condemned by all patriots.According to the group, “These protesters, who are in exercise of their fundamental right to peaceful assembly guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), some of them have crossed their boundaries and we demand the government to take legal action against them to serve as deterrence to others.They demanded that the federal government consider the following items, There are several offences created by law that relate to the National Flag and the use of any flag in Nigeria, Nigeria Police to seize and remove any flag that is being used to commit an offence in any part of Nigeria.Other demands include: The punishment for offences relating to the national flag is N150.00 only and there is no option of imprisonment. The punishment is unpatriotic and cannot deter offenders. It is a mockery of today’s reality, The Federal Government to see the need for National Assembly to amend the federal law (The Flag and Coat of Arms Act of 1960) to include only imprisonment as the punishment and to do away with the option of fine and the sixty (60) years old federal law need and urgent amendment as well as other laws relating to affects Nigeria’s sovereignty and collective progress.”The presence and use of foreign symbols may be used to undermine national security and stability, giving undue leverage to external entities seeking to exploit domestic issues for their own agendas, we have seen how foreign actors collude with unpatriotic citizens destabilizes many African countries, including Sudan, Libya and Mali to mention but few. We believe that displaying foreign flags during the protest was an attempt to undermine national sovereignty and we believe that holding those accountable for acts that undermine our country’s sovereignty is essential for preserving the integrity of our democratic institutions and processes”