Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has condemned the use of force to disperse protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate by soldiers on Tuesday night.
He said using brute force to quell protests was never an effective way of solving such problems.
Obasanjo posited that President Muhammadu Buhari and his lieutenants didn’t exhaust all avenues before restoring to the use of force to disperse the protesters.
The Next Edition reports that soldiers had shot and killed some of #EndSARS protesters at the Toll Gate.
Many of the protesters who were unarmed also sustained various degrees of injuries from the shooting.
READ ALSO: Soldiers Who Shot At #EndSARS Protesters Were Deployed By The Army – Sanwo-Olu
The protesters largely made up of youths are protesting against police brutality in the country and demanding good governance.
In a statement titled, ‘Statement on Violence Against Protesters In Nigeria: An Appeal for Calm,’ and personally signed by him, on Wednesday, Obasanjo expressed sadness on the killings and resultant violence and chaos that have followed.
The statement partly read: “It is with a heavy heart and a deep sense of concern about the ongoing violence, chaos, and unrest in many parts of Nigeria that I make this appeal to the Government and people of out dear Country, Nigeria, to eschew violence and embrace peace and dialogue in finding solutions to the challenges we face as a Country.
“I particularly appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari, in his capacities as President on Nigeria, Commander-in -Chief of the Armed Forces, and as a parent of youth like the ones who have in the last week come out in peaceful protest against police brutality and for improvement in their lives and their living conditions, to restrain the military and other security agencies from using brute force as a way of ending the crises.
“The shooting and murder of unarmed protesters, no matter the level of provocation, has never been effective in suppressing public anger and frustration of the populace and close the window of dialogue and peaceful resolution.
“It is clear that Mr. President and his lieutenants did not exhaust the opportunities for dialogue with the protesters before resorting to use force .it is worse that there is denial of wrongdoing in spite of overwhelming visual evidence.Great harm has been done but it can be stopped before it completely spirals out of control.
“We are at a critical moment in this crisis and Mr.President mustact now before it is too late.This time demand leadership and mature leadership at such.”
He said targeting people would only widen the existing divisions in the country.
The former president noted that most of the demands made by the #EndSARS protesters which the governor of Lagos had conveyed to the President were not unrealistic.
Meanwhile, he called on the protesting youths to give peace a chance, adding that the destruction and looting must stop.
“The youth must give peace a chance while making their legitimate demands. They must be mindful of miscreants who will infiltrate their ranks and give the protests a bad name so that trigger-happy forces will kill them.
“The destruction and looting of public and private properties will only hurt all of us and set us back.”
