President Muhammadu Buhari has broken his silence days after Lagos state judicial panel on #EndSARS and Lekki tollgate shooting incident submitted its report to Lagos state government.
He told the visiting United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, that his government will allow the system to exhaust itself, and will, therefore, wait for pronouncements from state governments which set up panels to probe police brutality in the country.
Buhari said this on Thursday at State House, Abuja, while receiving in audience the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement titled ‘Endsars probe panel report: we wait for the states, President Buhari tells Blinken, American Secretary of State.’
Buhari said he will await the steps taken by governors before the federal government takes action on the reports of the judicial panels of inquiry set up by states to investigate incidents of police brutality.
Read Also: Lagos #EndSARS Report: UN, US, Amnesty International, Others Demand Sanctions
While those of Rivers, Delta, Ogun, among others, had earlier submitted their reports, the Lagos panel presented its report on police brutality — including the Lekki shooting — to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of the state, on Monday.
In its findings, the Lagos panel said security operatives “killed unarmed protesters” who had gathered at the Lekki tollgate.
Speaking, he said;
So many state governments are involved, and have given different terms of reference to the probe panels. We at the Federal have to wait for the steps taken by the states, and we have to allow the system to work. We can’t impose ideas on them. Federal Government has to wait for the reaction of the states.
On the recent removal of Nigeria from the watchlist of countries violating religious freedom, which Blinken said was “based on facts,” the President expressed the country’s appreciation, noting that there was freedom of worship in Nigeria, and no one is discriminated against based on his or her faith.
He said education is a priority in the country, “because when you educate a people, there are certain levels they will not fall below.”
