Adeboye endorses protests Only irresponsible govt hires thugs against protesters, says PDP
By Ejiofor Alike
Human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, has urged the federal government to dialogue with #EndSARS protesters and meet their demands.
This is coming as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, yesterday endorsed the nationwide protests.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also yesterday warned against the hiring of thugs to attack protesters in the country, saying that only an irresponsible government can hire thugs to attack protesters.
Speaking on a live TV programme yesterday, Falana argued that if the government is negotiating with terrorists and kidnappers, it should also dialogue with the protesters.
He also urged the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, to order his men to protect #EndSARS protesters from being attacked by hoodlums.
“I will like to call on the government to stop allowing armed thugs or hoodlums to attack protesters who have conducted themselves peacefully, maturedly and patriotically.
“If everybody had recognised that these young men and women played positive roles in drawing the attention of government and the authorities to the crisis in the Nigeria Police Force, they should not be attacked. In fact, the law says protesters shall be protected by the police.
“The Police must protect protesters.
“The President has a duty today to reconstitute the Nigerian National Human Rights Commission.
“The Accountant-General of the Federation has a duty tomorrow to open an account that will warehouse the money that has been earmarked under the Police Trust Fund to fund the police.
“My advice to the President is to get all the agencies of government to carry out their statutory duties.
“The government must engage in dialogue with the leaders of the protesting group. After all, the government is negotiating with terrorists and kidnappers. So, why don’t you negotiate with patriots like the young men and women that are protesting all over the country?
“There has to be a full-fledged Inquiry that will support a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to sit in the open like the Oputa Panel and investigate the atrocities of all the extrajudicial killings by SARS agents.
“If the government can put all these in place and these can be done in three days, the young men and women can now be persuaded to leave the streets.
“I have been speaking with some of them and they have been saying if they leave the streets, nothing will happen. So, let the government roll out the resolves and actualise its promises,” Falana explained.
Meanwhile, the General Overseer of the RCCG, Pastor Adeboye, has endorsed the #EndSARS protests.
Adeboye made his position known in a tweet yesterday evening.
“Our daughters will not be able to prophesy and young men will not see visions if we don’t keep them alive.
“I support the youths in this peaceful protest as they “speak up” to #EndPoliceBrutality #EndSARS #ENDSWAT.”
In a related development, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, has warned against the hiring of thugs to attack protesters in the country.
He said this yesterday a few hours after #EndSARS protesters were attacked in Lagos and Abuja.
According to the PDP’s spokesperson, it will be irresponsible for any government to send thugs to attack youths holding a peaceful protest.
“Only an irresponsible government will hire thugs to engage peaceful protesters. @Mbuhari has lost grips. #EndPoliceBrutality,” he tweeted.
