A former Head of State and Chairman, National Peace Committee, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar has called for immediate end to the ongoing #EndSARS nationwide protests and violence across the country.
This was contained in statement on Wednesday in Abuja and jointly signed by Abdulsalami and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Convener (NPC) respectively.
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They expressed shock, deep sorrow and sadness, over the events that have taken place across the country in the wake of the protests by the youths.
“We have seen ugly scenes of activities that are totally unrelated to the goals of the youth protesters. This is very sad, but we call for calm among our people and appeal to the President to ensure that the rights of citizens are fully respected and protected,” they said.
According to them, the right to protest is considered a cardinal principle in human existence wherever individuals live together as a family or a community and that every community is formed and strengthened by the contribution of all its members.
They said, “Therefore, when an individual or some members feel aggrieved, it is their right to seek redress within the rules guiding their existence and that of the community.
“It is against this backdrop that we must see the EndSARS protests by the youths in our dear country as a legitimate pursuit. Like millions of other Nigerians, we all concede that it is within the rights of our youths to express their grievances with the system
“However, the right to protest is not an absolute right independent of the machinery and laws that govern a given society. Whenever an individual or a group protests in the face of an injury, it is often based on the fact that other remedies have not worked.
“Notwithstanding this, the right of the protester must include the belief that a redress will benefit both the aggrieved and the larger society.”
They lamented that what started as a peaceful demonstration of grievances against the unacceptable conduct of some elements within the security apparatus is gradually becoming an object of concern for the youths with legitimate concerns, the government and the larger society.
“Now, there is need to pause for many reasons. The federal government has apologised and this is commendable. The state governors have responded promptly by acknowledging the genuine grievances of the youths, and thirdly, the Inspector General of Police has also been quite decisive.
“We believe that in any civilised pursuit of common good, these steps show some level of goodwill and an acknowledgement that the grievances of the youths are taken seriously.
“The freedom to protest ends and imposes a right on the protester when the agent acknowledges the circumstances that have led to the protest.
“Therefore, we call on the youths to respond appropriately by accepting the show of faith by all levels of government and the Police Force.
“Developments among some of the youths are causing some very serious concerns and could lead to a defeat for the noble project that the genuinely aggrieved youths have embarked upon.
“We call for a pause because the Covid-19 pandemic does not recognise our protests and it is dangerous for us to let our guards down especially when we see what is happening around the world with the new threats of the resurgence of this pandemic.
“Again, the youths are beginning to show signs of differences in objectives with the sudden emergence of criminal elements that are resorting to violence and mayhem.”
They said burning down a police station, destroying Police vehicles and endangering the lives of innocent citizens cannot be a way to show concern for the Police force.
They said that it is also not possible that a responsible government will stand by to allow this chaos to continue.
“We therefore call for a pause because further escalation of violence could become counterproductive. We are already seeing youths arming themselves against fellow youths.
“This ugly development could set the youths back on the path of progress and derail their capacity to become leaders themselves in the future.
“There is therefore the need for the youths to be sensitive to the concerns of their parents who are already under the dead weight of poverty and grave social challenges,” Abdulsalami said.
He added that a pause is urgent so that all sides can prepare for negotiations that benefit everyone, as this will reposition the country to consolidate on the gains of democracy.
The former Head of States also appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to take very seriously, the grievances that the youths have expressed and lay out more clearly, a short medium and long- term programme for meeting the objectives of the protests for the growth of the nation’s democracy.
