Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar says he condemns any use of force on #EndSARS protesters across the nation and urges the FG to listen to the youth and investigate the use of force on protesters.
Atiku disclosed this in a statement on Friday afternoon after SARS protests across the nation turned violent from Police attacks on protesters.
I woke up to the peaceful #EndSARSProtests going on in Lagos and other cities in the country.
First, I would like to commend the tenacity of our brave youths who have stayed out on the streets all day and night to make their voices heard. I stand with you all.
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) October 9, 2020
Nairametrics reported earlier today that the Nigerian Bar Association condemned the serial breaches of the fundamental rights of Nigerians by officers of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and urged that the Police put in place demonstrable measures to ensure proper enforcement and monitoring of the new directives.
“The NBA calls on the President of Nigeria, the National Assembly and the IGP to reign in on FSARS once and for all, strictly monitor and enforce the current directives, and put an end to the flagrant abuse and extrajudicial killings of Nigerians by these officers,” Olumide Akpata, NBA President said.
Atiku said he woke up with news of the peaceful protests and commends “the tenacity of our brave youths who have stayed out on the streets all day and night to make their voices heard.”
“Protests are an essential part of any democracy as we have seen the world over, and should be seen as an opportunity for dialogue between our people and our leaders.
“Thus, it is essential that the fundamental rights of Nigerians to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression must be protected at all costs,” he added.
He said he condemns the use of force on peaceful protesters and called for the investigation of police brutality on the protesters
“I strongly condemn any disproportionate use of force on protesters across the nation. I also call on the relevant authorities to ensure our youths are heard, and all incidents of excessive use of force by security agencies against protesters are investigated,” Atiku said.
