Human rights activist and EndSars United Coordinator Ayoyinka Oni has denounced the APC government’s continuous disregard for the rights of protesters and justice, particularly regarding the #EndSARS movement.
Oni emphasized that the APC’s relentless suppression of #EndSARS memorials remains unchecked, also highlighting the government’s lack of commitment to addressing systemic issues and promoting accountability.
Ayoyinka Oni, in a statement he titled “EndSARS Memorial: The APC Government Has No Shame,” highlighted the APC government’s consistent suppression of #EndSARS memorials over the past four years. He stressed that the APC’s refusal to implement panel recommendations stems from their complicity in the massacre, with orders given by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police. Oni described the brutal treatment of protesters, including instances of violence and abuse at the hands of the police.
The statement reads in part, “The events of October 20, 2024, were predicted and expected, as this has been the APC government’s response to all past memorials in the last four years. The oppressive APC government, from Buhari’s regime to Tinubu’s tenure, has consistently clamped down on protests, with extra violence reserved for the #EndSARS protest.”
“The message they are sending to Nigerians is simple: we will not implement the recommendations of the panel because we supported the massacre. We all know who gave the order – Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police. They directed police officers at the Lekki toll gate to clamp down on protesting citizens, who were then tear-gassed, hunted, beaten, stripped naked, tortured, brutalized, molested, shot, and thrown into a Black Maria like animals before being taken to Panti.”
Oni recounted how a collaborative effort involving social media, and the intervention of Take It Back Movement leaders and lawyers, including himself and Barrister Effiong, secured the release of the peaceful protesters after a unified push for their freedom.
“It took social media, regular media, and the intervention of myself, Baba Oloye, National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement; Comrade Sanyaolu Juwon; and a few other leaders and members of TIB picketing Panti Station, along with three of our lawyers, including Barrister Effiong, before they were released.
“This act of cowardice from the regime of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Babajide Sanwo-Olu will not go unchallenged. Protest is a fundamental human right enshrined in our constitution and backed by international documents that the Nigerian government has signed.
The freedom of movement, speech, peaceful assembly, and right to dignity cannot be taken away from Nigerians by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, or any other governor in the country.”
Reaffirming the commitment to resisting the oppressive regime, Oni who is also the Lagos state Chairman of the African Action Congress stated that the party is dedicated to representing the masses, and will continue to lead protests and work towards change in Nigeria’s political landscape.
“As the people of Lagos and Nigeria look towards a party of the masses like the African Action Congress gaining power at the center, we will continue to lead and march with them against this oppressive regime.
“The African Action Congress will build trust, respect, and confidence back into the police system by restructuring and removing all corrupt officers, regardless of rank. The Police Act of 2020 cannot be implemented properly in this oppressive, corrupt, and power-drunk regime of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“No amount of continuous repression at the Lekki toll gate can change the fact that the APC government attacked, maimed, and killed unarmed, helpless, and unresisting protesters while they sat on the floor and waved the Nigerian flag.
“The reason police brutality continues to this day is that we lack leaders and a system that works. That’s why the government will not implement the recommendations of the panel it set up. They were found guilty by the panel, and it would be class suicide for them to punish the tools they use to oppress the people.
“We will not rest until disciplinary action is taken against LT Col S.O. Bello and his men from the 65 Battalion, acting under the 82 Division Garrison; Major General Godwin Umelo; DPO Raji Maroko Division; and his officers. The recommendations of dismissal, stripping of status, and more are all in the panel’s report, and they must be obeyed.
“The APC government has not implemented a single recommendation from the panel’s report. No justice, no peace – the people will never stop demanding it.”
Concluding the statement, Oni honored the victims of the Lekki tollgate massacre, vowing that their memories would live on through the voices of the people as they continue to seek justice for the lives lost.
“The blood of Olalekan Abideen Ashafa, Olamilekan Ajasa, Kolade Salami, Foloursho Olabisi, Tola, Wisdom, Kenechukwu Udoh, and others who were killed at the toll gate will continue to speak through the voices of the people until we get justice.”
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