By Omeiza AJayi
ABUJA: A support group of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, ‘The APC Young Stakeholders’ has condemned Tuesday night’s shooting of unarmed protesters at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos state, asking President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately address the nation and douse tensions.
The APC Young Stakeholders made their position known in a statement signed by the trio of Aliyu Audu, Chuks Nwanodo and Fatima Zara Umar.
Part of the statement reads; “We condemn the unfortunate incident that occured at the Lekki Toll gate in Lagos on the night of the 20th of October 2020 involving armed men in uniform whose lethal engagement with unarmed protesters agitating for the end to police brutality resulted in a number of causalities.
READ ALSOLabour unions decry killing of innocent protesters in Lagos
“The APC Young Stakeholders call for a full comprehensive investigation into the incident and ensure that the perpetrators however highly placed are brought to justice.
“We also want to call on our great party, the All Progressives Congress to condemn the unfortunate incident in its entirety just as we join the National Assembly in calling on on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately address the nation, reassure Nigerians on meeting the demands of the protesters with actionable timelines and taking all necessary steps to restoring peace and order across the country.
“The various security agencies, particularly the police must at this point rise to the responsibility of restoring law and order and preventing hoodlums disguising as protesters from further vandalizing and burning public property within and around the country.
We wish to also reiterate our total belief and solidarity on the genuineness of the #ENDSARS protest as young Nigerians with familiar experiences.
“Our fellow Young Nigerians. We must also show patriotism, tact and diplomacy by considering withdrawing from the streets even if temporarily to restrategize to enable the appropriate security agencies differentiate them from the hoodlums and other persons with pecuniary interests who have hijacked the legitimate #EndSARS protest to loot, destroy property and attack innocent Nigerians. We urge them to stay safe and remain focused on their demands for a complete end to police brutality and reform of the entire policing structure but must be guided on the strategy tempos so as not to have a repeat of the ugly incidents of recent days”.
