The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, have called on the Nigerian government to end the killing of protesters against police brutality in Nigeria.
The spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, in a statement stated to that “I’ve been asked about the ongoing protests in Nigeria and I can tell you that the Secretary-General is following the protests in Nigeria calling for the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and an end to human rights violations allegedly committed by security agencies.
“The Secretary-General stresses the importance of respect for peaceful protests and freedom of assembly and calls on the security forces to exercise maximum restraint in the policing of the demonstrations. “The Secretary-General welcomes the decision by the Government of Nigeria to disband the Special Anti-Robbery Unit and undertake broader police reforms. He expresses the readiness of the United Nations to accompany Nigeria in those efforts,” the UN said.
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Similarly, the Deputy Secretary-General, who is a former Minister of Environment in Nigeria, Amina Mohammed, has also called on the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to cease killing unarmed protesters.
According to Mohammed, “the UN & I are following the protests in #Nigeria calling for an end to human rights violations. I join the #UNSG in stressing the importance of respect for peaceful protests & freedom of assembly & call on the security forces to exercise maximum restraint.”
Likewise, US presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, Joe Biden, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to bring to a halt the violent crackdown on #EndSARS protesters.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday sighted by Echotitbits, Biden asked the federal government to engage in dialogue with the civil society in order to address citizens’ grievances.
Furthermore, Biden stated that United States must show solidarity with Nigerians who are peacefully seeking police reform and asking for an end to corruption.
“I urge President Buhari and the Nigerian military to cease the violent crackdown on protesters in Nigeria, which has already resulted in several deaths,” he said.
“My heart goes out to all those who have lost a loved one in the violence. The United States must stand with Nigerians who are peacefully demonstrating for police reform and seeking an end to corruption in their democracy.
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“I encourage the government to engage in a good-faith dialogue with civil society to address these long-standing grievances and work together for a more just and inclusive Nigeria.”
Joining her voice to call for restraint by Nigerian forces, ex-US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, had appealed to President Buhari to stop the killing of the protesters.
The former first lady of the US made the appeal in a tweet on Tuesday night. She lent her voice in support of those who had condemned the action of the soldiers.
“I’m calling on Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian army to stop killing young #EndSARS protesters,” she tweeted.
