President Muhammadu Buhari has harped on the need for justice for the victims of #ENDSARS protests.
A statement issued by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu on Sunday said Buhari did not want to speak on Lekki until he has all the facts.
This was the first time the President had addressed the issue for the first time having been criticized for ignoring the incident in his recent national broadcast,
He also assured that following the setting up of a judicial panel of inquiry by the Lagos State government, security men who were murdered and property owners whose assets were vandalised and looted will also get justice.
The statement said: “As the Judicial panel of inquiry set up by the Lagos State Government, one of the more dozen states to do so, starts sitting on Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his full support and optimism that it will assist the nation to give justice to peaceful protesters who lost their lives, security men who were murdered and property owners whose assets were vandalized and looted.
“The President, who said he had all along avoided going into a debate about the Lekki Toll Gate incident until all the facts are established, appealed to the people all over the country to maintain peace and brotherhood as the machinery of the government and the wheel of justice turn against the perpetrators of murder, arson, stealing, rape, assault and malicious damage to public and private property.”
Buhari reiterated his appeal for calm, brotherhood and communal harmony, telling Nigerians not to turn on each other in hate as according to him, peace, brotherhood, and inter-communal harmony are central to the nation’s ethos.
He said it is important that the police and other security agencies move everywhere to restore calm and normalcy as quickly as possible.
While noting that his administration is working hard through many pragmatic ways to reduce the hardship of the millions of the unemployed, poor citizens and those whose lives have been thrown into disarray by the harsh economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, he warned that resort to widespread attacks and the organized looting and plundering of public and private property in many states are inimical to the public good and stand condemned.
The statement added: “A government that has launched a massive crackdown on corruption, brought in strong laws for a decisive battle against corruption, pursues loot recovery at home and abroad, and taken strong decisions against those who thought they were above the law, will not fold its arms when an otherwise legitimate and peaceful protest is turning into free-for-all vandalism and looting.
“While the administration has, for its part, blocked so many means of looting public money in a war against corruption, it is the expectation that all civil authorities, community and religious leaders in the country must rise against the organized looting and plunder we are witnessing in parts of the country.”
The president admonished families to reject items looted and brought home by their children.
He stated: “Families must turn back children who bring home unaccounted goods, in the same way wives must ask their husbands to return looted items brought home.
“What is more, is that criminal actions as we have so far witnessed can weaken and erode the confidence of our people and that of foreign businesses in investing in the economy.
“Looting and vandalism will hurt trade and investment growth in our country, both large and small industries, as well as our hardworking people in the informal sectors of the economy.
“These incidents do not reflect well on any society. They are wrong and condemnable and should not be supported by reasonable members of the society.”
In line with this, President Buhari commended the decision of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice to prosecute 229 suspects arrested by the police for allegedly using the #EndSARS protests to destroy and loot public and private property.
The statement further said: “As mentioned in two successive statements on the issues, the President and his administration have taken note of the grievances of the people. ‘We have heard you loud and clear,’ he said, and has shown a clear determination to take all necessary measures to address the complaints. The violence must stop.”
The President also condemned hate messages and eviction notices to ethnic and religious groups asking Nigerians to take pride in the fact that Nigeria’s diverse people have been living with one another in harmony for ages.
“The right of all citizens to live and work in any part of the country is a constitutional right and will be defended by the government,” the statement declared.
