Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar in a strongly worded response to the killings of unarmed protesters across the country has reported President Bola Tinubu to the United Nations and the International Criminal Court or ICC and asked them to immediately monitor the situation in order to step in.
This followed actions of armed policemen alongside operatives of the DSS, who on Saturday opened fire on innocent protesters in Abuja killing an innocent teenager, who was not partaking in the hunger strike in Kubwa while a police man was accused of pointing a gun at another teenage boy in the same place.
Also, security agencies stormed the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Saturday to force out unarmed protesters from the stadium shooting love bullets at them, shattering a car of one of the journalists from Premium Times.
Journalists were also shot at as were protesters, forcing them to run for cover.
Similarly, there were ugly scenes in Kano where police opened fire on unarmed protesters forcing them to scamper for safety.
All across the country, there have been tales of woes as the protest which began on Thursday entered the third day in a bloody fashion.
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, Rivers in what human rights groups such as Amnesty International, HURIWA, religious groups have condemned as amounting to use of excessive force.
Atiku “vehemently condemned” what he called “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 places like Plateau where a nursing mother was reportedly arrested.
Atiku described the situation as “utterly intolerable” which he said is “reminiscent of the dark days of military dictatorship.”
The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party or PDP noted that it is crucial to remind the government and security agencies of their paramount duty to ensure a safe and secure environment where citizens can exercise their right to protest without fear.
“When security forces open fire on innocent protesters,” he said “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 stated.
He 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.
By indulging in such acts, Atiku said they undermine the legitimate protests and play into the hands of those who oppose their right to protest.
President Tinubu, the former vice president said “must 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 he would be making a national address on Sunday morning.
Hunger Protests: Atiku Reports Tinubu To UN, ICC Over Killings Of Unarmed Protesters is first published on The Whistler Newspaper