Ex-Senate President of Nigeria, Dr Bukola Saraki, has urged Nigerians not to ever forget the #EndSARS protest that rocked the nation last year, and some parts of the world last year.
The protest which lasted for days was staged by Nigerian youths due to incessant police brutality meted out to them. On this day last year, it was reported that there was a mass shooting of the protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos, by personnel of the Nigerian Army, which led to the loss of lives.
In a statement issued by the former senate president, Saraki while marking the first anniversary of the sad incident said that his thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives, loved ones, sustained injuries, or sustained other losses at the Lekki Toll Gate.
The statement read in part, “On the first anniversary of October 20th, 2020, like many Nigerians, I have struggled with coming to terms with the sobering events of that day.
My thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives, loved ones, sustained injuries, or sustained other losses at the Lekki Toll Gate and at various locations in Lagos and around the country when security agencies were deployed to clamp down on the protests and non-state actors took advantage to cause chaos and mayhem.”
Saraki further noted that it is worrying that despite the protest that rocked the nation nothing has really been done to resolve the issues that caused the protests in the first place.
He said, “It is worrying that despite the acceptance of the ‘5 for 5 Demands’, nothing has really been done to resolve the issues that caused the protests in the first place. None of the policemen accused of torturing and extrajudicially murdering Nigerian citizens have been brought to justice, there has been no marked improvement in the funding or quality of equipment available to the Nigerian Police Force and these incidents of torture continue in many security facilities nationwide.