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Falana charges FG to dialogue with #EndSARS protesters
By Modupe Shodeinde
Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has called on the Federal Government to dialogue with the EndSARS protesters and ensure their protection.
Falana on Wednesday night, during a television programme, said if the government is negotiating with terrorists and kidnappers, it should also dialogue with the protesters and meet their demands.
“The government must engage in dialogue with the leaders of the protesting group. After all, the government is negotiating with terrorists and kidnappers. So, why don’t you negotiate with patriots like the young men and women that are protesting all over the country?” he said.
He also urged the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to instruct his men to protect #EndSARS protesters from being attacked by hoodlums.
The #EndSARS protest which has clamoured against harassment and extrajudicial killings by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force, has continued nationwide despite the disbandment and replacement of the SARS unit with the Special Weapons and Tactics unit (SWAT).
The protest continued with many demanding for more reforms.
On Wednesday, Falana said “I will like to call on the government to stop allowing armed thugs or hoodlums to attack protesters who have conducted themselves peacefully, maturedly and patriotically.
“If everybody had recognised that these young men and women played positive roles in drawing the attention of government and the authorities to the crisis in the Nigeria Police Force, they should not be attacked. In fact, the law says protesters shall be protected by the police.The Police must protect protesters.”
He stated that the President’s duty is to reconstitute the Nigerian National Human Rights Commission.
“The Accountant-General of the Federation has a duty tomorrow to open an account that will warehouse the money that has been earmarked under the Police Trust Fund to fund the police.” he added.
Falana said he had spoken to some of the protesters, and their concern is that nothing would be done if the protest is brought to an end, so he urged the government to actualize its promises.
“There has to be a full-fledged Inquiry that will support a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to sit in the open like the Oputa Panel and investigate the atrocities of all the extrajudicial killings by SARS agents.
“If the government can put all these in place and these can be done in three days, the young men and women can now be persuaded to leave the streets.
