Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) on Thursday condemned, in strong terms, the killing of innocent and unarmed protesters in Lekki area of Lagos, warning those miscreants that engaged in looting and destruction of public properties not to turn the South-West to theatre of war.
OPC, while giving the warning in a statement by its publicity secretary, Barrister Yinka Oguntimehin, expressed concern about the situation leading to the death of some of the defenceless protesters in Lekki, describing the killing as barbaric and an attempt to cow the people from expressing their views against the government.
The group also condemned the activities of some hoodlums that had used the peaceful protest to destroy public utility and properties.
It also noted that some enemies of the people of South-West have decided to use the peaceful protests to unleash terror in the region, even as it wondered how a peaceful protest could turned bloody overnight.
According to OPC, the country had never had it so bad like this, except during the military government of the late Sani Abacha when the nation was “thrown into this kind of terror and killing.”
“It was obvious that some enemies of the people of South-West have decided to use the peaceful protests to unleash terror in the region. How could a peaceful protest turned bloody overnight?
“Those behind the killing in Lekki decided to unleash terror on innocent and unarmed youths by shutting down the Close Circuit Camera and putting out the billboard light at the toll-gate before embarking on their shooting spree, leaving in the wake, several people killed while others were at the hospitals with various degrees of injuries. This is barbaric and very dangerous.
“We have never had it so bad like this in this country, except during the military government of the late Sani Abacha that Nigeria was thrown into this kind of terror and killing,” the group stated.
OPC, however, urged the United Nation (UN) and International communities to put pressure on the Federal Government to investigate those behind the killing and brought them to book.
The group identified those that were killed in the course of the peaceful protest as the country’s heroes even in death, expressing sadness that the Federal Government had failed to act on the legitimate demands of the protesters, making the issue to escalate from peaceful protests to looting, arson and killings.
This was just as it said that available reports showed that those that engaged in looting and destruction of public protesters had sinister motives that were capable of soiling the image of genuine protesters.
“But it must be said once again that the Federal Government must desist from making an attempt to test the will of the people that have resolved to put their lives on the line for a better change and such attempt will be too bad for a government that rode to power on the trust of the people, especially from the South-West,” OPC said.
While commiserating with the families of the fallen heroes, the group saluted the courage of the Nigerian youths for raising their voices against police brutality resulting from bad governance.
“We need to appreciate the courage and consistency of the the Nigerian youths who have demonstrated the need for complete reform of the ailing system. It is historic that the youth have risen to the occasion by raising their voices against bad government using the prolonged protests to put the government on its toes.
“For instance, the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams, had spoken twice within a week, urging the protesters to be peaceful and also advising the Federal Government not to use the army to quell the protesters.
“He had in a letter written to President Buhari earlier this week, also urged the Federal Government not to use force to quell the protesters as that could turn out to be disastrous, but the Federal Government had decided to ignore the warning, leaving the entire country to wonder whether the president is still in charge or not,” the statement said.
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