…says FG must reverse missteps
Federal Government should reverse its missteps as the two youth members of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry commendably resumed sitting during the weekend, a member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Teejay Yusuf has said.
Rinu Oduala and Temitope Majekodunmi, the youth members of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry resumed sitting on Saturday November 14, after boycotting the panel for more than a week in protest against the Central Bank of Nigeria’s freezing of their bank accounts and that of other #EndSARS promoters.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, Honourable Teejay Yusuf (PDP, Ijumu/Kabba-Bunu Federal Constituency) stated that while there are lessons to learn by both the protesters and the government, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami’s alleged statement that hoodlum in military fatigues shot at protesters deserves to be followed with a national apology.
He emphasized that it is ‘thoroughly confounding’ that in spite of the Federal Government promise to look into the demands of the protesters, government went to great lengths with actions and words that aroused real doubts over its sincerity.
“The Federal Government asked them to calm down and they did so, only for the Federal Government to embark upon series of arrests, passport seizure and freezing of bank accounts of the #EndSARS protesters.
“While right thinking citizens feel concerned about the real possibilities of driving the democratic expression of dissenting opinions into the threatening catacombs of underground activities, the Federal Government must advice itself against further deliberate mis-steps.
“It is absolutely pathetic that a government that promised progressive ideals has consistently shown a tendency to find comfort in dictatorial fiat and jackboot oppression of its people,” he stated.
According to the legislator, it is absolutely regrettable that the idealistic youthful protesters were being deliberately confronted with strong-arm tactics and disrespectfully lumped together by government in a manner suggestive of deliberate official mischief aimed towards obliterating their credibility.
“Lawful protests are part of citizens’ inalienable democratic rights and the October protests by youth and activists laid out a five-point demand before the government calling for an end to police brutality across the country.
“They also asked for immediate release of arrested protesters, justice for all deceased victims of police brutality, appropriate compensations for their families, setting up of an independent body to oversee the investigation and prosecution of all reported police misconduct within a period of 10 days.
“Their demands for a psychological evaluation of disbanded Special Anti-Robbery operatives, increase in police salary and compensations all resonated with the Nigerian public”, he stated.
Noting that the Federal Government’s Presidential Panel on Police Reforms acceded to the five demands made by the protesters, Honourable Yusuf emphasized the need for government to foster a sense of belonging and social justice rather than decisions that further portrays Nigeria in negative light internationally.