Femi Falana, foremost human rights lawyer, says the identities
of people brutalised or killed during the #EndSARS protest across the country
will soon be revealed.
In October, the #EndSARS demonstrations held across the
country, with young people calling for an end to police brutality and
extra-judicial killings.
The protest later led to violence, looting, loss of lives
and properties across the country.
Speaking during the convocation lecture of the Ekiti State University on December 16, Falana asked President Muhammadu Buhari to prohibit armed soldiers from getting involved in the maintenance of civilian demonstrations.
“A few days ago, President Muhammadu Buhari publicly
acknowledged that aggrieved citizens have the fundamental right to exercise
their freedom of expression through peaceful rallies, marches and protests,”
Falana said.
“However, the president warned hoodlums not to hijack such
protests. But to the utter embarrassment of the federal government, some
commissioners of police announced a ban on protests and any other form of
public meetings in many states.
“Not only were unarmed protesters not protected during the
recent #EndSARS protests, they were violently attacked by hired thugs. Since
the hired thugs were not arrested, hoodlums hijacked the protests and unleashed
mayhem on the society. In the process, properties worth billions were
destroyed. Over a hundred protesters were killed by the army and the police.
The members of the political class who use the area boys as thugs during
elections should be held liable for allowing them to metamorphose into hoodlums
during protests.
“Permit me to assure the Nigerian people that the identities
of those who were seriously injured and brutally killed in Abuja, Ogbomoso,
Benin, Port Harcourt, Lekki and other parts of Lagos will soon be revealed. It
may interest the public officers who are dancing on the graves of the slain
protesters that the bereaved families are quietly shedding tears over their
irreparable losses.
“In order to end the abuse of the human rights of the
Nigerian people, state governments have resolved to establish human rights and
security committees in all the states of the federation. In view of the
revelations of horrendous brutalisation of the Nigerian people in the ongoing
judicial commissions of inquiry into police brutality, the human rights and
security committees should be established without any further delay.”
Falana further berated governors for failing to supervise
security agencies operating in their states over what he described as the
“erroneous belief” that internal security is the exclusive responsibility of
the federal government.
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