By Akinwale Kasali
The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation, CAPPA, through its Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, has condemned the October 20, 2020, Lekki Toll Gate, alleged, killings of #EndSARS protesters by Soldiers.
The Group frowned at the insincerity and conflicting stories by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Nigeria Army and the Federal Government on the issue, which has made a mockery of the nation at large, following the Investigative Reportage of International News Medium, Cable News Network, CNN, which has led to denial of the Government.
CAPPA, however, demanded Justice for victims of the brutality and extra judicial Killings of innocent Nigerians by petitioning the International Criminal Court, ICC and the United Nations, UN.
On Friday, November 20, 2020, the petition was delivered to the ICC and the UN High Commissioner, with over 10,026 signing the petition, as well as over 150 Organizations from over 75 countries around the World, including two former United Nations Special rapporteurs, several members of the United States Congress, Cornell and Harvard University Professors.
The Group stressed that the #EndSARS protesters and those arrested unjustly are neither Criminals nor terrorists as has been portrayed by the Government, but were only exercising their Civic and Constitutional Rights, by demanding better Police and a better Nigeria.
It added that Contrary to Governor Sanwo-Olu’s tales that no lives were lost at the Lekki Toll Gate, Four #EndSARS Protesters, Perpetual Kamsiyuchukwu, Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka, Honey Ayuku and Samuel Isah, testifying at the Judicial Panel of Inquiry in Lagos, provided a list of 22 Protesters who died because of the Lekki Toll Gate Shooting.
“The happenings presently in the Nation is unacceptable, and Nigerians are waking up to the reality that the Civic space is shrinking, while the Federal Government claims it is waving the olive branch with the left hand, while it is using the right hand to muzzle the right to free speech and peaceful Protest, which is the right of every Nigerian guaranteed by the Constitution.
“We, however, demand Justice for all the #EndSARS Victims, calling for the ICC and the UN to wade in this issue for the Justice to trigger supreme”.
Corroborating CAPPA, Debo Adeniran, the Executive Director of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, said that the Nigerian Government lacks civility.
He stressed that if the Government had attended to the demands of the Protesters, it wouldn’t have escalated to the situation we find ourselves.
“The Nigerian Government have failed the people, and it is necessary for Justice to take its cause. We, however, demand Justice for the Victims of the #EndSARS protest.
“Also, the Government should stop terrorising the people and trampling on their fundamental human rights of association. It saddens one that the Government has been sealing places where meetings are meant to be held for the protest. We call on the UN and the ICC to come to our aid”.
