Thread by @InibeheEffiong

GOVERNMENT AIDING THUGS TO CAUSE VIOLENCE, DISCREDIT ENDSARS PROTESTS

The escalation of coordinated attacks on peaceful #EndSARS in Abuja, Edo, Lagos and other parts of the country by armed thugs and other criminal elements gives credence to the desperation of the federal

and state governments to use every conceivable primitive, unlawful and extra-judicial means to discredit and scuttle the genuine agitations of aggrieved protesters.

Predictably, recent attacks on police stations in Edo and Lagos States have been cited by governors of these States as a basis for imposing questionable curfews. One can reasonably infer, that these attacks are ostensibly sponsored by persons who are sympathetic to the government

as part of an orchestrated plot to unleash the military on protesters to truncate the nationwide movement for police reform and good governance.

From the start of the nation-wide protests, about two dozen peaceful protesters have been murdered by security officers and murderous thugs actively aided and abetted by law enforcement agencies and state actors in different parts of the country.

The social media is dominated by videos and photos showing armed thugs and riotous mobs unleashing mayhem, burning and destroying properties belonging to protesters and other Nigerians. These criminal actions are not happening in isolation.

Generally, protesters have remained peaceful and law abiding despite the provocations. Protesters have been working to restore law and sanity as part of their civic responsibility.

We have seen protesters offering food and water to police officers.

We have seen protesters clearing the streets of dirt. These same protesters have volunteered to control the flow of traffic in Lagos and other parts of the country.

It is unacceptable that the police has not arrested the thugs and their sponsors who are committing murder, arson and other criminal activities. Rather, we have seen pictorial evidence of thugs being conveyed in police vehicles.

This can only mean that the government and the thugs are in sync.

It is therefore offensive, hypocritical and deceitful for a government that has been complicit in the attacks on peaceful protesters, to rely on acts of violence perpetuated by thugs and other criminal elements who are working to disrupt the protests for the benefit of the same

government, as a justification for more state-sanctioned violence.

I deprecate these despicable attacks on the fundamental rights of citizens to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly as guaranteed by Sections 39 and 40 of the Constitution, respectively.

It is important for the Armed Force to immediately withdraw from our streets. This is supposed to be a democracy, not a military junta.

The military should stay away from protesters. The limited role of the Armed Forces under Section 218 of the 1999 Constitution has been desecrated by the Buhari regime, in a shameful attempt to crush dissent and quell the patriotic voices of young people who are disenchanted by

long years of police brutality, corruption and impunity.

President Buhari should immediately address the nation, fire the Inspector General of Police, and along with the governors, urgently attend to all the demands of the protesters.

Protesters are urged to continue to protest peacefully and remain law abiding, without sacrificing their constitutional right to self-defense as enshrined in Section 33 of the Constitution.

INIBEHE EFFIONG ESQ.
20/10/2020.