The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has called on the security agencies in the country to put to an end to the massacre of Nigerian youths in the ongoing nationwide campaign protest against hardship in Nigeria.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, made the call in a statement on Saturday, August 3, 2024 in Abuja.
The statement titled “STOP THIS MASSACRE”, said the two days protest has caused over 40 casualties stating that the Congress has sufficient evidences on reports and video clips.
He wondered the level of professionalism of the security personnel, describing the killings as nothing but MASSACRE of citizens.
The NLC President said if the maximum force applied in managing the protesters by the security personnel were deployed in the same thoughtless brutal precision against bandits or other criminals, Nigeria would have been an eldorado.
He blamed the police, as the lead-agency in internal security management in the burden of the massacre.
He condemned the Kaduna State Police Command under the watch of Compol Audu Ali Dabigi in what he described the poor handling the situation adding that what happened in Kaduna represents the worst case scenario.
According to Ajaero, one of the fleeing protesters was heard on camera desperately appealing to the deployed police personnel to not shoot him until his voice was drowned by a hail of bullets, which later killed the protester on the spot and several injured.
The NLC President said despite the situation in all the states police should know that human life is sacred and should NEVER be taken.
He stressed that the Labour Congress is deeply saddened by the wanton killings of life by trigger-happy police personnel.
He said in Asokoro, Abuja under the command of Compol Bennett Igweh, protesters were heard querying why the police were shelling or tear-gassing them as they were marching solemnly without breaking a twig.
“We pause to ask, what happened to all the years of training or experience? No lessons learnt or was this a case of loss of human values on an industrial scale? Don’t our police personnel watch their colleagues in other parts of the world manage equally challenging (if not worse) situations?” He queried.
Ajaero said the Congress will be monitoring closely as the situation unfolds, stating that the police as the lead-agency vested with power and authority on issues of internal security should not only lead by good example but an inspiration to other services.
NLC demands that the cops with blood stains on their hands be fished out for appropriate disciplinary action through their commanders.
It also asked that adequate compensations should be paid to the families of casualties while government should be responsible for the treatment and rehabilitation of the injured and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested.
Ajaero urged the government to bring solutions to the crisis adding that the ultimate solution lies with government, based on the decisions it takes, and the compromises it is willing to make in the face of the genuine demands by the protesters.
Full text:
With unconfirmed reports putting casualties at 40+ in in two days of managing the the EndHunger protest across the country, we have sufficient reasons (backed up by reports and video clips) to call to question the professionalism of our security personnel as this represents nothing but MASSACRE of citizens.
Had the security personnel deployed the same thoughtless brutal precision against bandits or other criminals, our country would have been an eldorado.
As the lead-agency in internal security management, the police bear the burden of this massacre.
Kaduna State police command under the watch of Compol Audu Ali Dabigi represents the worst case scenario in which one of the fleeing protesters was heard on camera desperately appealing to deployed police personnel to not shoot until his voice was drowned by a hail of bullets with the resultant death of a protester on the spot and several injured.
In the same breadth, Edo State Police Command under the personal command of COMPOL Funsho Adegboroye represents the best in crowd management as he could be heard interacting and cajoling the protesters and almost effortlessly bringing them under control.
It might be convenient to argue that the two states do have different socio-cultural millieux, however, an incontestable truth common to both, and indeed, all the states is that human life is sacred and should NEVER be taken.
We are deeply saddened by this wanton taking of life by trigger-happy police personnel.
In Asokoro, Abuja under the command of Compol Bennett Igweh, protesters were heard querying why the police were shelling or tear-gassing them as they were marching solemnly without breaking a twig.
One noticeable pattern was that once police personnel introduced violence, all hell broke loose in fulfilment of the credo that violence begets violence.
We pause to ask, what happened to all the years of training or experience? No lessons learnt or was this a case of loss of human values on an industrial scale? Don’t our police personnel watch their colleagues in other parts of the world manage equally challenging (if not worse) situations?
For a start, we demand that the cops with blood stains on their hands be fished out for appropriate disciplinary action. Ditto their commanders.
Secondly, adequate compensations should be paid to the families of casualties while government should be responsible for the treatment and rehabilitation of the injured.
Thirdly, all those arrested should be released immediately and unconditionally.
We commend NBA national leadership for directing its human rights committees across the cities to be vigilant. We urge them to see it to it that no one is held against their will in connection with the protest.
On no account again should the police use live ammunition in managing protests no matter how difficult they get.
In the days ahead, we look forward to a better crowd control mechanism even as the new directive from the IGP would sound to some of the personnel as a license to kill without reason.
We would be monitoring closely as the situation unfolds. The police as the lead-agency vested with power and authority on issues of internal security should not only lead by (a good) example but an inspiration to other services.
However, if the police in self-righteousness consider this advice as meddlesomeness and persist in their slaughter, they will be unwittingly creating a situation they were supposed to help avert in the first place. And we as members of organised labour will be left with no choice than the moral burden to act in protection of ordinary citizens.
Finally, we do believe the ultimate solution lies with government, the decisions it takes, the compromises it is willing to make in the face of the genuine demands by the protesters.
As we had stated in our statements of July 22nd and 23rd, the clearest path to a lasting solution is for government to sit down with leaders of the protest and negotiate in good faith. Time is of essence as no one is impressed by the sophistry of government officials/hirelings or threats by the police or the military. We are all Nigerians, after all.
