Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a strongly worded response to the killings of unarmed protesters across the country, reporting President Bola Tinubu to the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC) and urging them to immediately monitor the situation and intervene.
This action follows incidents where armed policemen and operatives of the DSS opened fire on innocent protesters in Abuja on Saturday, killing a teenager in Kubwa who was not partaking in the hunger strike, and a policeman was accused of pointing a gun at another teenage boy in the same location.
Security agencies also stormed the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Saturday, forcibly removing unarmed protesters by shooting live bullets, which shattered the car of a journalist from Premium Times. Both journalists and protesters were shot at, forcing them to run for cover. In Kano, police similarly opened fire on unarmed protesters, causing them to scatter for safety. Across the country, the protest, which began on Thursday, has entered its third day with increasing violence and chaos.
Journalists have been hounded, tear-gassed, kicked, and bundled into police vehicles to unknown locations in places like Calabar, Cross River State, Yobe, Delta, Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Adamawa, Lagos, and Rivers. Human rights groups, such as Amnesty International, HURIWA, and various religious groups, have condemned the excessive use of force.
Atiku vehemently condemned the “heinous act of using live ammunition” on citizens peacefully protesting against bad governance. Eyewitnesses and video evidence showed police in full battle gear descending on unarmed protesters, including women with babies. In Plateau, a nursing mother was reportedly arrested. Atiku described the situation as “utterly intolerable” and reminiscent of the dark days of military dictatorship.
The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stressed the importance of reminding the government and security agencies of their paramount duty to ensure a safe environment where citizens can exercise their right to protest without fear. He stated, “When security forces open fire on innocent protesters, they do nothing but exacerbate tensions, transforming peaceful demonstrations into chaos. I refuse to believe that inciting violence is the intention of our authorities.”
Atiku urged the international community, including the United Nations and the International Criminal Court, to closely monitor the situation in Nigeria and hold its leadership and security apparatus accountable. He reaffirmed his counsel to protesters to steadfastly exercise their right to peaceful protest and reject any form of violence. Those engaging in looting and the destruction of public and private property, he said, must be isolated and prosecuted according to the law. Such acts, he noted, undermine the legitimate protests and play into the hands of those who oppose their right to protest.
Atiku called on President Tinubu to demonstrate true leadership by immediately addressing and implementing the demands of the Nigerian people. Amid the ongoing excessive use of force, the president has announced that he will make a national address on Sunday morning.