President Buhari Finnaly Breaks Silence On Lekki Shootings, Pledges Justice For Victims
President Buhari has broken
his silence on the gunfire incident that occurred at the Lekki tollgate on
Tuesday, October 20.
End SARS protesters had
gathered at the tollgate to stage a protest when they were shot at by security
operatives.
In a statement released
today October 25 by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina,
President Buhari vowed to ensure justice for the ''peaceful protesters who lost
their lives.” The President explained that he decided not to talk about the
shooting incident until he had access to all the facts.
He also promised property
owners and business owners affected by the arson across the nation that they
would get justice. He commended Lagos State for planning to prosecute 229
suspects arrested by the police for allegedly using
the #EndSARS protest to destabilize the country.
The President also
condemned the looting of items from private and public businesses. He appealed
to families to turn back children who bring home unaccounted goods. He
also advised wives must ask their husbands to return looted items brought
home.
The statement reads
“As the Judicial panel of
inquiry set up by the Lagos State Government, one of the more dozen states to
do so, starts sitting on Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his
full support and optimism that it will assist the nation to give justice to
peaceful protesters who lost their lives, security men who were murdered and
property owners whose assets were vandalized and looted.
The President, who said he
had all along avoided going into a debate about the Lekki Toll Gate incidents
until all the facts are established, appealed to the people all over the
country to maintain peace and brotherhood as the machinery of the government
and the wheel of justice turn against the perpetrators of murder, arson,
stealing, rape, assault and malicious damage to public and private property.
The President advises that
peace, brotherhood, and inter communal harmony are central to our ethos and
urges Nigerians “not to turn against one another in hate.”
He said it is important
that the police and other security agencies move everywhere to restore calm and
normalcy as quickly as possible.
President Buhari said while
his administration is working hard through many pragmatic ways to reduce the
hardship of the millions of our unemployed, poor citizens and those whose lives
have been thrown into disarray by the harsh economic effects of the COVID-19
pandemic, he warned that resort to widespread attacks and the organized looting
and plundering of public and private property in many states are inimical to
public good and stand condemned.
A government that has
launched a massive crackdown on corruption, brought in strong laws for a
decisive battle against corruption, pursues loot recovery at home and abroad,
and taken strong decisions against those who thought they were above the law,
will not fold its arms when an otherwise legitimate and peaceful protest is
turning into free-for-all vandalism and looting.
While the administration
has, for its part, blocked so many means of looting public money in a war
against corruption, it is the expectation that all civil authorities, community
and religious leaders in the country must rise against the organized looting
and plunder we are witnessing in parts of the country. Families must turn back
children who bring home unaccounted goods, in the same way wives must ask their
husbands to return looted items brought home.
What is more, is that
criminal actions as we have so far witnessed can weaken and erode the
confidence of our people and that of foreign businesses in investing in the
economy. Looting and vandalism will hurt trade and investment growth in our
country, both large and small industries, as well as our hardworking people in
the informal sectors of the economy.
These incidents do not
reflect well on any society. They are wrong and condemnable and should not be
supported by reasonable members of the society.
In line with this,
President Buhari commends the decision of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice
to prosecute 229 suspects arrested by the police for allegedly using
the #EndSARS protest to destroy and loot public and private property.
As mentioned in two
successive statements on the issues, the President and his administration have
taken note of the grievances of the people. “We have heard you loud and clear,”
he said, and has shown a clear determination to take all necessary measures to
address the complaints. The violence must stop.
President Buhari also
condemned hate messages and eviction notices to ethnic and religious groups
asking Nigerians to take pride in the fact that our diverse people have been
living with one another in harmony for ages. The right of all citizens to live
and work in any part of the country is a constitutional right and will be
defended by the government.
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