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Daniel Kanu
Human Rights advocacy group, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation (CAPPA) and her allies have called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the UN High Commissioner to speedily open international inquiry into the EndSARS killings in Nigeria that resulted to loss of innocent lives including that of security operatives.
The group said they consider the call fundamentally urgent and necessary in view of what it described as “an ominous clouds hanging over Nigeria and the desire to get justice for the EndSARS victims”.
CAPPA in a press conference today, Friday, 20th November, disclosed that it has already sent protest letters to both the ICC and the UN High Commission. The letter demanding international inquiry into the October 20, 2020, Lekki #EndSARS killings was sent to the office of the prosecutor, ICC, Judge Eboe-Osuji, who incidentally is a Nigerian.
Executive Director of CAPPA, Comrade Akinbode Oluwafemi at the briefing in Lagos said that every available evidence will be mobilised to ensure that the victims get justice at the international court, promising that Nigerians will be adequately mobilised to resist the shrinking civic space by the present administration.
Said Oluwafemi “already 10, 027 individuals and 154 organisations from over 75 countries around the world stand with Nigerian civil society and echo their demands for an immediate international inquiry into the Nigerian government’s killing and maiming of peaceful #EndSARS protesters at Lekki toll gate in Lagos state , on Tuesday October 20, 2020.
“sadly, events after the protest have been most disturbing. Daily, there have been reports of individuals who participated in the protests being whisked away from their homes by the police. Many have been denied access to their families and lawyers.
“Prominent supporters of the protests have also been denied their right to travel out of the country and their passport seized by the Nigeria Immigration service (NIS) allegedly on instructions “from above”.
“Media Organization that the public have rated highly for giving unbiased coverage of the protest has also faced backlash from the Government we find it very shocking that National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) slammed a 3 million Naira fine on arise TV, African Independent Television (AIT) and Channels TV describing their reports as “unprofessional”. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
“Suddenly Nigerians are waking up to the reality that the Civic space is shrinking while the Federal Government claims it is waving the Olive Branch with left hand it is using the right hand to muzzle the right to free speech and peaceful protest which is a right of every Nigerian guaranteed by the Constitution.
“These happenings in a supposed civilized democracy remind us of the military era when dissent was treason and free speech a privilege. We would not accept this, and we will not cede the core principals of human rights and democracy”.
Oluwafemi disclosed further that renowned US senators including Sherrod Brown, Ro Khanna, Dr Cornel West (Harvard University), Dr Kate Bronfenbrenner (Cornell University US), Philip Alston (Former UN special rapporteur on extra judicial executions) among others have sent solidarity messages with the Nigerian people.
Among those present during the media briefing includes: Debo Adeniran (ED of Center for Anti-corruption and Open Leadership (CACOOL)), Comrade Hassan Soweto (convener of the Youths Right Campaign (YRC)), Comrade Francis (Abayomi Center for Truth and Liberty) etc. All the activist present vowed to continue the struggle to defend the Civic space while urging Nigerians to rise against Injustice by the President Buhari- led Government.
