Lekki Genocide: UN Secretary-General UN Condemns Police Brutality, Calls For An End To Attacks, Violence On Peaceful #EndSARS Protesters
United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has condemned the killing of unarmed protesters by Nigerian authorities and ordered the police to, as a matter of urgency, end brutality against innocent people in the country.
Guterres’s spokesman, Stephanie Dujarric in a statement on Wednesday condemned the murder of innocent protesters, fighting for their voices to be heard.
He stated;
The Secretary-General is following recent developments in Nigeria and calls for an end to reported police brutality and abuses.
He condemns the violent escalation on 20 October in Lagos which resulted in multiple deaths and caused many injuries.
He expresses his condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured. He calls on the Nigerian authorities to investigate these incidents and hold the perpetrators accountable.
The UN Secretary-General urged the security forces to;
Act at all times with maximum restraint while calling on protestors to demonstrate peacefully and to refrain from violence.
The Secretary-General encourages the authorities to swiftly explore avenues to de-escalate the situation.
He reiterated the readiness of the United Nations to support national efforts towards finding a solution.
The protests against police brutality, extortion, harassment and extrajudicial killing turned bloody on Tuesday after state security forces shot sporadically at protesters.
Since the killing, President Muhammadu Buhari has not personally made any official statement to address the matter.
United States Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, former US secretary of state Hilary Clinton and many others in the international community have both condemned the killing of protesters.
