• Friday, March 29, 2024
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#EndSARS: Concerned Nigerians outline four recommendations for urgent action

#EndSARS: Concerned Nigerians outline four recommendations for urgent action

A group of 41 concerned Nigerians who described themselves as non-partisan actors that believe in the union of Nigerian people have called for urgent steps to be taken to prevent the chances of a potential war between Nigerian youths and the country’s security agencies.

According to the statement released on Thursday by the group who said they are patriotic Nigerians, Africa’s most populous country cannot afford to tread the path of exacerbating ethnic and religious divides which can only lead to anarchy as over one hundred million of its people are still living in extreme poverty.

“No Nation can survive a war between its security agencies and its youth, and it is to avert this prospect that we make this intervention and recommend the following urgent action,” the concerned Nigerians said in a document seen by BusinessDay.

Condemning the developments of the last weeks which culminated in a deadly attack on peaceful protestors, the group said “available evidence appears to be by agents of our government on 20th October 2020” and “present one of the most serious crisis in our nation’s history.”

Haven watched with serious concern the unfolding crisis threatening to engulf Nigeria due to the recent protests by Nigerian youth across the country, against widespread police brutality, endemic corruption, and bad governance, the group recommended that the four following steps should be taken by all parties involved and should be done as a matter of urgency.

President Buhari should act urgently

While acknowledging that the response of the Government to the protests has been largely slow, unconvincing, and half-hearted as it formally accepted the youth’s demand to end SARS but immediately announced it being replaced with SWAT, the concerned Nigerians called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take immediate urgent steps to address the widening trust deficit between the Government and the President on the one hand, and the Nigerian youth and its people on the other.

“To move forward, the President must take decisive action to close the trust deficit by Identifying and arresting immediately the persons that instructed for soldiers to shoot protesting youth at the Lekki Toll Gate on 20th October 2020,” it said.

Read also: Lagos #EndSARS judicial panel member faults S/West governors, ministers

The group also urged the President to institute an urgent independent inquiry on the events at Lekki toll gate leading to the use of live ammunition on the protestors and the apparent use of sponsored thugs or hoodlums by security operatives to infiltrate and break the peaceful protests.

“All those identified to be responsible for this must be held to account and prosecuted,” it said.

Support youths’ demand

The concerned group which has about nine senior advocates of Nigeria and about 32 other professionals applauded the Nigerian youths for their courage to demand their fundamental human rights.

“We commend our youth who have been courageous and patriotic in their demands for the protection of their rights and for a better 5 Nigeria. We urge that all Nigerians support these demands which have been without any ethnic or religious coloration,” the group said.

Law-abiding protests

The concerned Nigerians urged the protestors to remain law-abiding and patriotic and not to engage in any intimidation or harassment of ordinary citizens or engage in any form of violence.

“We appeal to parties and stakeholders to work for the speedy resolution of the crisis.”

Avoid violent demonstration

“We strongly condemn the wanton destruction of properties, killings and maiming of innocent citizens and ethnicization by rioters and hoodlums trying to ignite a religious or ethnic conflict and call on ALL Nigerians to remain calm and avoid retaliation or taking the law into their hands,” the concerned Nigerians said.

According to the group, it recommended the aforementioned steps that need urgent implementation after it carefully observed and followed the unfolding events. Thus it said, “to halt our descent into a further breakdown of law and order, we call for urgent steps to be taken by all concerned.”