#EndSARS Killings: Hoodlums On The Rampage, Burn Buildings, Vehicles
Tuesday’s killing of peaceful #EndSARS protesters across the country generated strong condemnation by eminent Nigerians and international bodies on Wednesday. Protests by youths demanding the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad SARS of the Nigeria Police, which began on October 8, assumed a violent dimension last week when hoodlums and security agents started attacking protesters. On Tuesday, the violence escalated when soldiers and policemen as well as hoodlums killed no fewer than 43 protesters. Six policemen also lost their lives in the crisis. Those who commented on the killings, berated the regime of the President, Muhammadu Buhari, for deploying armed security agents against unarmed protesters.
Condemning the killings, an elder statesman, Prof. Woke Soyinka, called on governors in states where there were protests to immediately demand the withdrawal of soldiers deployed by the Federal Government. On his part, former President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote an open letter to the President on the killings, urging him to act fast before it was too late. Obasanjo accused Buhari and the military of not exhausting all options before they used force against the protesters. He said “Great harm has been done, but it can be stopped before it completely spirals out of control.” The Nigerian Bar Association condemned the killings and said it had begun local and international actions against the Federal Government. The NBA President, Mr Olumide Akpata, asked the Nigerian Army to immediately identify the soldiers who carried out the attack and dismiss them from service. In the US, the Democratic Presidential candidate in the upcoming United States election, Joe Biden, called on President Buhari to stop the violent crackdown on protesters. The European Union, EU said it was shocked by the killings in the wake of the #EndSARS protests. The High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell said it was looking forward to seeing the sort of reforms that would be put in place to ensure police reforms.