ENDSARS Protests: What FG Must Do To Achieve Peace – ASUU
…Says deployment of trigger happy military will worsen the crisis
BY TEMI OHAKWE, ABUJA
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) took a critical look at the #ENDSARS protests across the country, calling on the Federal Government to lead the way in restoring peace and justice in Nigeria.
The Universities lecturers warned against the deployment of trigger happy military personnel as reportedly done in the case of Lekki Toll Plaza, stressing that it is only by continuous engagement with the #ENDSARS protesters that genuine peace will take place.
ASUU stressed that the youth’s ongoing protest is a challenge to those who hold political power to urgently and rightly address the core issues of poverty, homelessness, unemployment, poor education, and lack of access to social services such as adequate healthcare, good roads, housing and electricity for majority of Nigerians.
The Universities lecturers noted that for obvious reasons of past betrayals, the youth are right to insist on seeing evidence of how well government has met the five-point demand that include immediate release of all arrested protesters; justice for all deceased victims of police brutality and appropriate compensation for their families.
It listed other demands by the youths to include; setting up an independent body to oversee the investigation and prosecution of all reports of police misconduct; psychological evaluation and retraining of all disbanded SARS officers before they can be redeployed; and increase police salary so that they are adequately compensated for protecting lives and property of citizens.
These were contained in a statement signed by its ASUU National President, Profesor Biodun Ogunyemi, in which it also called on the government to as a matter of national concern and interest, get to the root of the alleged killing of peaceful protesters at Lekki Toll and the crisis that erupted afterwards towards ensuring that justice is done and seen to have been done to all victims of the incident.
The Union while responding to development across the country especially the #ENDSARS protests by the Nigerian youths and the alleged shooting of protesters at Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos State, stressed that security operatives must be stopped from the senseless killing of armless youth protesters.
ASUU also challenged the Federal Government to ensure that infiltrators of the ENDSARS protesters must be brought under check through active intelligence.
ASUU condemned in strongest terms what it described as government’s idling of the Lekki incident, stressing that the repression and killing of any citizen for exercising the constitutionally guaranteed rights to protest is unjustifiable and criminal.
The statement further states; “ASUU fully identifies with Nigerian youth in exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and non-violent protest.
“Cumulative reports attest to the reckless, unguarded, and anti-people activities of the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) arm of the Nigeria Police Force. From all indications, SARS had become an instrument of oppression; intimidating, extorting and killing innocent youth and citizens.
“The change in name of SARS will not end the cruel murders widely perpetrated by SARS now changed to Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT),” ASUU said.
ASUU said that in the immediate, government should take measures to fish out the culprits and bring them to justice without further delay in order to calm all frayed nerves.
