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| Buhari. Photo; TWITTER/NIGERIAGOV |
The International Bar Association (IBA) and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to commence an investigation of killings of protestors who were demanding good governance and an end to police brutality in Nigeria.
They also condemned what they described as the security agents’ “excessive and disproportionate use of force and live ammunition to disperse protestors.
“Widespread protests have ensued as the tension between civilians and security forces has snowballed, as revelations of years of unchecked violence–including killings, rape, torture, and extortion–by the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS), have come into sharper focus.”
In a statement issued by IBA President, Horacio Bernardes Neto, the groups said citizens have the right to peaceful protest in democratic nations globally and so their rights should be respected.
IBA Director, Dr. Mark Ellis, said: “At a time of global rejection of excessive and lethal policing methods, the situation in Nigeria is especially disturbing. The security forces of any nation are meant to protect civilians, not terrorise them.”
MEANWHILE, stakeholders in Benue have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to apologise over his failure to condole with families of protesters that were killed by soldiers during the #EndSARS protests in the country.
They, however, commended Governor Samuel Ortom for ensuring that youth in the state did not engage in looting and destruction of property, as they joined the protests.
In his welcome address at the meeting with stakeholders yesterday, Ortom said some of the issues raised by the protesting youth were as a result of cumulative wrongs meted to them and issues left unattended to by successive governments.
He stressed that leaders must engage the youth at this critical time and leave no gaps, otherwise, the situation might consume both the leaders and the led, adding that during the protests, the state government had sleepless nights pondering over the security situation and calming the youth down not to go violent, no matter the provocation.
Ortom further appealed to stakeholders to forget their political difference and tackle the issue at hand before things get out of hand.
Speaking, Minister for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affair, George Akume, expressed grief over the damage done to the nation’s economy, stating that the government was, however, working on a welfare package to cushion the effects of the damage.
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