As the judicial panel of inquiry set up by the Lagos State government, one of the more dozen states to do so, starts sitting on Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his full support and optimism that it will assist the nation to give justice to peaceful protesters who lost their lives, security men who were murdered and property owners whose assets were vandalized and looted.
The president made the remark on Sunday in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.
Buhari who said he had all along avoided going into a debate about the Lekki Toll Gate incidents until all the facts were established, appealed to the people all over the country to maintain peace and brotherhood as the machinery of the government and the wheel of justice turn against the perpetrators of murder, arson, stealing, rape, assault and malicious damage to public and private property.
The president advised that peace, brotherhood, and inter communal harmony were central to the ethos of the nation and urged Nigerians “not to turn against one another in hate.”
He said it was important that the police and other security agencies moved everywhere to restore calm and normalcy as quickly as possible.
Buhari said while his administration was working hard through many pragmatic ways to reduce the hardship of the millions of our unemployed, poor citizens and those whose lives had been thrown into disarray by the harsh economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, he warned that resort to widespread attacks and the organised looting and plundering of public and private property in many states were inimical to public good and stood condemned.
He said a government that had launched a massive crackdown on corruption, brought in strong laws for a decisive battle against corruption, pursued loot recovery at home and abroad, and taken strong decisions against those who thought they were above the law, would not fold its arms when an otherwise legitimate and peaceful protest was turning into free-for-all vandalism and looting.
He said while the administration had, for its part, blocked so many means of looting public money in a war against corruption, it was the expectation that all civil authorities, community and religious leaders in the country must rise against the organised looting and plunder being witnessed in parts of the country.
He warned that families must turn back children who brought home unaccounted goods, in the same way wives must ask their husbands to return looted items brought home.
The statement as signed by the president’s media aide, Shehu reads in part: “What is more, is that criminal actions as we have so far witnessed can weaken and erode the confidence of our people and that of foreign businesses in investing in the economy. Looting and vandalism will hurt trade and investment growth in our country, both large and small industries, as well as our hardworking people in the informal sectors of the economy.
“These incidents do not reflect well on any society. They are wrong and condemnable and should not be supported by reasonable members of the society.
“In line with this, President Buhari commends the decision of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice to prosecute 229 suspects arrested by the police for allegedly using the #EndSARS protest to destroy and loot public and private property.
“As mentioned in two successive statements on the issues, the President and his administration have taken note of the grievances of the people. “We have heard you loud and clear,” he said, and has shown a clear determination to take all necessary measures to address the complaints. The violence must stop.”
Meanwhile, President Buhari has also condemned hate messages and eviction notices to ethnic and religious groups asking Nigerians to take pride in the fact that our diverse people had been living with one another in harmony for ages.
The right of all citizens to live and work in any part of the country is a constitutional right and will be defended by the government, the president was quoted as having said.
