Senior officials of the United States Government met with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday and expressed condemnation over the shooting of unarmed protesters at the Lekki Toll Plaza by soldiers.
The Next Edition reports that soldiers without any provocation on Tuesday, opened fire on the #EndSARS protesters, killing and wounding many of them.
At the meeting with Osinbajo the US also insisted that the soldiers responsible for the shootings must face the law.
READ ALSO: US Condemns Killing Of Unarmed Protesters, Calls For Investigation
This was contained in a statement by the spokesperson for the State Department, Morgan Ortagus on Thursday.
She said: “Counselor T. Ulrich Brechbühl met with Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo today in Abuja, Nigeria as part of a previously scheduled delegation, which included Assistant Secretary Robert Destro and Assistant Secretary Denise Natali, to raise U.S. concerns about ongoing violence in Nigeria, human rights, religious freedom, and trafficking in persons, and to hear from senior Nigerian Government officials how they are addressing those issues.
“The Counselor expressed the U.S. condemnation of the use of excessive force by military forces who fired on unarmed demonstrators in Lagos.
“He expressed condolences to the victims of these shootings and urged the government of Nigeria to abide by its commitment to hold those responsible accountable under the law.
“The Vice President and the Counselor noted that the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are essential human rights and core democratic principles. Counselor Brechbühl and Vice President Osinbajo emphasized the importance of U.S. and Nigerian collaboration on common goals of improving security cooperation and strengthening economic partnership to foster mutual prosperity.”
