State of the Nation address on October 25, 2020 asked President
Muhammadu Buhari to unravel the killers of the #EndSARS protesters
in Lekki area of Lagos State.
The Serving Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church,
formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has
asked President Muhammadu Buhari to unravel the killers of the
#EndSARS Protesters in the Lekki area of Lagos State.
The young protesters had converged at the Lekki Toll Gate on
Tuesday night when they were shot by security operatives shortly
after the Lagos State Government declared curfew in the state.
Bakare, who spoke on Sunday during his sermon in church, asked
President Buhari to prosecute the soldiers who sent many young
Nigerians to their early graves and left other with varying degrees
of injuries.
“I strongly recommend that President Buhari should ensure that
those who ordered armed soldiers to fire on innocent citizens are
fished out and made to face the full wrath of the law,” he
said.
The senior pastor admonished Nigerians to be wary of ethnic
colorations, religious differences and other divisive means
designed to distract them from the real issues of governance.
He also urged the citizens to keep their hopes alive, adding
that the New Nigeria everyone yearned for is within reach.
“This is not the nation we hope to bequeath to our children. We
will build this nation, not upon the altar of the blood of our
young people, but on their visions and aspirations,” Bakare
said.
Speaking further, he said that no degree of brutal repression of
protesters can overcome the desire of protests in the hearts and
minds of the people.
To Bakare, any attempt to resolve the issues must go beyond the
surface to excavate the underlying factors that led to the
protest.
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“Your bullets may drive them off the streets, but your bullets
cannot pierce their spirits or puncture their resilience.
“Our overarching challenge is systemic governance failure which,
over the decades, has worsened the living conditions of Nigerians.
As a result, although the Special Anti-Robbery Squad has been
disbanded, the spirit of SARS continues to prowl unchecked,” he
said.
His remarks come five days after several people were killed and
others injured after security operatives opened fire at #EndSARS
protesters in Lekki.
Security operatives had stormed the scene of the protest on
Tuesday night hours after the Lagos Government announced a 24-hour
curfew and opened fire.
The action drew global condemnation both within the country and
outside of Nigeria with the United Nations, African Union and
ECOWAS calling for a thorough probe into the tragic shooting.
On Wednesday, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, called
for an end to police brutality in Nigeria, condemning violent
clashes that claimed multiple lives and caused many injuries.
According to a communiqué issued by his spokesperson, Stephane
Dujarric, the UN chief has been following recent developments in
Nigeria and has called for an end to police brutality and
abuses.
Similarly, Chairman of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat,
offered his sincere condolences to the families of those who lost
their lives and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
Mr Mahamat appealed to all political and social actors to reject
the use of violence and respect human rights and the rule of
law.