Tuesday’s killing of peaceful #EndSARS protesters across the country generated strong condemnation by eminent Nigerians and international bodies on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the violence escalated when soldiers and policemen, as well as hoodlums, killed no fewer than 43 protesters. Six policemen also lost their lives in the crisis.
Those, who commented on the killings, berated the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for deploying armed security agents against unarmed protesters.
Condemning the killings, an elder statesman, Prof. Wole Soyinka, called on governors in states where there were protests to immediately demand the withdrawal of soldiers deployed by the Federal Government.
The playwright made the call in a statement issued on Wednesday from his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The statement was titled, ‘DÉJÀ VU – In tragic vein.’
The Nobel laureate said, “To the affected governors all over the nation, there is one immediate step to take: demand the withdrawal of those soldiers. Convoke town hall meetings as a matter of urgency. 24-hour curfews are not the solution. Take over the security of your people with whatever resources you can rummage. Substitute community self-policing based on local councils, to curb hooligan infiltration and extortionist and destructive opportunism. We commiserate with the bereaved and urge state governments to compensate material losses, wherever.
He also said the army must apologise, not merely to the nation but to the global community – “the facts are indisputable – you, the military, opened fire on unarmed civilians. There has to be structured restitution and assurance that such aberrations will not again be recorded.
