CSOs To President Buhari: End Killings Across The Country Now

BY GLORIA USMAN, ABUJA – Civil Society Organisations have called on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to take immediate actions against incessant killings in the country.

The CSOs on Thursday gathered Nigerians from all walks of life and converged at the Unity Fountain, Abuja to make demand against the incessant killings across the country.
Participants at the rally were all clad in white T-shirts with boldly written inscriptions that read; ‘Stop The Killings’, ‘End The Massacres’ ‘End The violence’ ‘Justice Must Prevail in Nigeria’ among others.

The CSOs demanded of the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency and national importance take immediate and needed necessary action to quickly address the issues before they get out of hand.

Addressing journalists, one of the conveners of the rally and former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof Chidi Odinkalu, said the essence of the event was to demand the Federal Government to take appropriate action to end all the various violent killings across the country.

Odinkalu further said; “The government its losing territory to armed bandits, who are killing Nigerians and the same government, who should lead us against these things are now the ones dividing Nigerians.”
The group expressed displeasure with the manner in which the Federal Government has handled the issues of lives of citizens with no urgency to stop the killings of innocent Nigerians.

They therefore pleaded with the Federal Government to put measures in place to safeguard Nigerians, stressing that the government needs to show that it cares by holding to account those responsible for every senseless killing in the nation.

Also speaking, the Country Director of Global Rights, Abiodun Baiyewu-Teru, said it is the responsibility of the government to protect lives and property of Nigerians, saying that the Federal Government inaction in the face of the continued killings is a compromise to the trust of Nigerians.

The rally which started at about 9:00am at the Unity Fountain Abuja witnessed the CSOs marching to Aso Villa where the peaceful protest end and later terminated at the Fountain.