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#EndSARS: CSOs slam Amnesty International over report on Lekki shooting
By Emmanuel Awosika
No fewer than twenty civil society organisations (CSOs) have criticised Amnesty International for its report on the alleged shooting of #EndSARS protesters by the Army at the Lekki Tollgate.
According to the CSOs, Amnesty International had attempted to sow discord in the country with its role in the #EndSARS protests, especially through its report on the Lekki killings.
The CSOs alleged that some organisations of “masquerading as human rights groups” helped fuel the crisis that trailed the #EndSARS protests.
The statement was signed by Hajiya Aminu Umar Bida for Mother’s Alert Initiative (MOAI); Chris Nwabuaze for Action Against Bad Governance (AABAG) and Barr. Hafiz Olugbenga, Global Initiative for Peace and Security (GIPES).
In the statement, the CSOs described destruction carried out by mobs and hoodlums in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests as “an affront to the nascent democracy in Nigeria.”
The CSOs also fired off a warning to Amnesty International, saying Nigerians would resist fueling of conflict in the country.
The statement reads in part: “It is our firm conviction moving forward that Nigerians must not sit and watch how an organisation in the likes of Amnesty International truncate our nascent democracy. This would not happen, and Nigerians from all walks of life must stand in defence of our dear country in this critical point of our existence.
“We are using this medium to send a strong message to the promoters of Amnesty International that indeed they have tested the patience of Nigerians and moving forward we shall resist a further fueling of conflict in Nigeria.
“Our message is that Amnesty International has overstayed its welcome in Nigeria and indeed the time to leave is now. We stand in solidarity with Nigerians in this regard, and Amnesty International must leave Nigeria in the interest of peace and tranquillity.
“Nigerians would no longer tolerate any group or association that is against our collective interest as a people and as a country. The time is indeed now. And this remains sacrosanct.”
