By James Orji
The federal government has not addressed the demands of youths that led to EndSARS protest last October, Bukola Saraki former Senate President has said.
Saraki, a former governor of Kwara state disclosed this, on Wednesday, amidst comment by Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, that nobody was killed at the Lekki Toll gate, Lagos, during the countrywide protest against police brutality by youths last year.
The protesting youths, had thronged the toll gate, in their thousands demanding an end to police brutality across the country, including a ban on the rogue Special Anti- Robbery Squad, SARS. They were later dispersed by soldiers who allegedly shot and killed some of the protesters.
The demands of the EndSARS protesters include: Immediate release of all arrested protesters; Justice for all deceased victims of police brutality and appropriate compensations for their families; setting up an independent body to oversee the investigation and prosecution of all reported police misconduct within a period of 10 days; carrying out psychological evaluation and retaining of all disbanded SARS operatives before they can deployed (this should be verified by an independent body); and that the government should increase police salary and they should adequately be compensated for protecting lives and property of the citizens.
Saraki who spoke as some youths gathered in Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country, to mark the one year anniversary of the protest said nothing has change, despite the government’s promise to address their demands.
According to him, “we Must Never Forget #EndSARS,” remembering the events of the Lekki toll gate shooting a year ago. It is worrying that despite the acceptance of the ” 5 of 5 Demands” nothing has really been done to resolve the issues that caused the protests in the first place.
“None of the policemen accused of torturing and extrajudicially murdering Nigerian citizens has been brought to justice, there has been no marked improvement in the funding or quality of equipment available to the Nigerian Police Force and these incidents of torture continue in many security facilities nationwide,” he said.
He demands the release of young Nigerians held in detention facilities across the country without trial, noting that “it appears that the lessons that ought to be learned from the events last year have been lost.”
He said rather than resolve the issues raised by the youths, the Nigerian Police Force has resorted to threats and mobilisation to stop them from further expressing their disaffection against the problems that led to the protest.
The former governor said the government should have learnt serious lessons from the protest, because “this is the only way we can honour the memory of those who gave their lives for this cause” Saraki said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and Culture has reiterated federal government’s position that nobody was killed by soldiers at the Lekki Tollgate.
The minister who spoke to journalists on Wednesday described reports that 12 protesters were killed as ‘phantom’.
Mohammed said, “recall, gentlemen, that after bandying different figures, Amnesty International finally settled at about 12 people killed. On its part, CNN went from 38 people killed to two to just one, after a supposed global exclusive even when the network had no reporter on ground at the Lekki Toll Gate on Oct. 20th 2020.”
He also claimed that soldiers did not shoot at protesters at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020.
“On Oct. 20th (2020), members of the security forces enforced curfew by FIRING SHOTS INTO THE AIR (emphasis mine) to disperse protesters, who had gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos to protest abusive practices by the Nigeria Police Force Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
“Accurate information on fatalities resulting from the shooting was not available at year’s end. Amnesty International reported 10 persons died during the event, but the government disputed Amnesty’s Report, and NO OTHER ORGANIZATION WAS ABLE TO VERIFY THE CLAIM (emphasis mine).”
“With the preponderance of evidence against any massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20th 2020, we are once again reiterating what we said one year ago, that:
“The military did not shoot at protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20th 2020, and there was no massacre at the toll gate. The only ‘massacre’ recorded was in the social media, hence there were neither bodies nor blood,” the minister said.
