. Seeks system change
By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
The Joint Action Front (JAF), a human rights/civil society group, has appealed to the government to setup an Independent Panel of Enquiry on the Lekki Tollgate massacre of peaceful EndSARS protesters on October 20, 2020 instead of the Jidicial Panel already floated by the Lagos State government.
It said that the Independent Panel of Enquiry, which would comprise representatives of civil society organizations, the Nigerian Bar Associations (NBA), medical associations, youth groups, trade unions and the media was best suited to probe the Lekki killings and other state-sponsored protests in Lagos and other parts of the country.
The group also condemned the violence that set the country on fire, blaming it on anger provoked by the Lekki shooting.
It called for unconditional reversal in the hike in the price of petrol and electricity tariffs and other anti-poor policies.
JAF, in a statement by Deputy Chairman, Achike Chude; and Secretary, Abiodun Aremu, however, advised Nigerians not to relent in the struggle to salvage the nation, urging them not to succumb to deceit of the ruling class, which it said, uses the weapon of religion and ethnicity to divide them.
“Nigeria needs a broad movement to fight for social justice, genuine political movement and system change now.
“We condemn the wanton destruction of public and private property in Lagos and across the country. We however understand that this unfortunate incident was provoked by the mass anger which trailed the Lekki shooting.
“We hold that the government has been characteristically telling lies about the causalities of the Lekki shooting.
“It is also reprehensible and irresponsible that President Muhammadu Buhari did not mention the Lekki shooting in his last national broadcast,” it stated.
Besides, JAF assured of its support for all steps and action plans by patriotic Nigerians to bring to justice, locally and internationally, all security forces and their rented crowd of mercenaries and sponsors involved in the killings and repression of the #EndSARS protesters across the country. “We will intensify the national mobilisation of Nigerians on a long-drawn struggle for system change, which we commenced on September 16, 2020 in our demands for the unconditional reversal in the hikes in the price of petrol and electricity tariffs and other anti-poor policies”.