Lekki shooting: Speak up now, Afe Babalola begs Buhari

Against the backdrop of the shooting of peaceful #EndSARS protesters in Lagos by the military and the general unrest in the country, the founder of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) Aare Afe Babalola SAN has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to address the nation without further delay.

Babalola in a statement made available to Tribune Online in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital on Wednesday, condemned the deployment of soldiers to attack the protesting youths across the country, saying the youths have the legitimate right to express their grievances without being harassed.

The frontline lawyer added that the president must be alive to his responsibility as leader of the nation and speak on solutions to the impasse in the country as a result of the protest against police brutality.

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He explained that the imposition of curfew by state governments was not the solution but rather the president addressed the root of the whole crisis in the country.

Babalola said, “The deployment of soldiers to the streets is not the answer. The imposition of curfews is certainly not the answer. The use of live bullets and other lethal weapons against protesting youths is not the answer. The killing of protesting youths is also not the answer.

“A protest both in fact and in law is analogous to a message which an injured toe sends to the brain complaining about unbearable pain. The response by the brain and the head is normally to take steps to treat the pain to the toe. Any injured person who refuses to take steps to treat pains to any part of the body does so at his own peril.

“The President is the head of the Nation, the youths are parts of the body (nation). I urge the President as the head to address the youths (the nation) and offer remedial steps to be taken to alleviate the pains.

“I remember that as soon as the protests began, I had issued a press release in a similar vein on the issue appealing to the President to please address the issue at that time. I now again plead with him to address the root causes of the pain which the youths are complaining about.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE