Clampdown on #EndSARS protesters attempt by govt to cover up ‘ugly’ role during protest —PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the clampdown on #EndSARS protesters by President Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidency as efforts by the government to cover up the role it played that led to the violence experienced during the peaceful protest.

The party has, therefore, asked the Buhari Presidency “to stop playing the ostrich and take responsibility for the violence and looting by hoodlums fuelled to discredit the peaceful protest by Nigerians against brutality and extra-judicial killings by unscrupulous security operatives in various parts of the country.”

In a statement on Wednesday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said that “it is shameful that instead of owning up and apologizing over its alleged role in the deployment of hoodlums and security operatives to attack and kill peaceful protesters, the Buhari Presidency is rather unleashing its spokespersons, as spin doctors on national television, to politicize the issues, distort facts, threaten Nigerians and point accusing fingers.”

READ ALSO: Activist drags lawyer who sued Kanu, Davido, Sam Adeyemi, 47 others over #EndSARS protest to legal disciplinary committee

The statement further read:

“The action of the Buhari Presidency in rushing to the media to distort fact and threaten Nigerians, appears to be in desperation to blackmail the various enquiry panels, cow witnesses and scuttle efforts to unravel the truth.

“This further explains the desperation to gag Nigerians on the social media as well as escalated clampdown on broadcast stations in our country.

“The Buhari administration must bear the blame for the evident hijacking of the peaceful protest by armed thugs who were seen on video being conveyed in vehicles belonging to security agencies and openly coordinated to unleash violence on the streets, leading to the crisis situation of maiming, looting, arson and wanton destruction of property in the land.

“Instead of pointing accusing fingers on others, the Buhari Presidency should come clean on who used security vehicles to convey and coordinate thugs as well as who deployed soldiers to Lekki Toll gate in Lagos to attack unarmed and peaceful protesters.”

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