Deployment of soldiers, imposition of curfew won’t stop #EndSars protests –Afe Babalola

Legal practitioner and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Afe Babalola has stated that the deployment of soldiers firing live bullets and the imposition of curfew will not stop the ongoing #EndSars protests.

Afe Babalola made the declaration on Wednesday in a statement, while reacting to the recent shootings, killings and crisis rocking various states in the country due to the declaration of curfew by some governors.

He reiterated that the deployment of soldiers to stop the protests by the youths will not yield fruits but called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rather address Nigerians.

He said; “Protests against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, otherwise known as SARS or FSARS, have spread to all parts of Nigeria and beyond.

READ ALSO: Afe Babalola cautions against cancellation of WASSCE, says it could lead to criminality

“The deployment of soldiers to the streets is not the answer. The imposition of curfews is certainly not the answer,” Babalola said in a statement.

He said that he had before now appealed to President Buhari to please address the issue at that time.

“I now again plead with him to address the root causes of the pain which the youths are complaining about,” he said.

According to Afe Babalola, “The use of live bullets and other lethal weapons against protesting youths is not the answer. The killing of protesting youths is also not the answer.

“A protest both in fact and in law is analogous to a message which an injured toe sends to the brain complaining about unbearable pain,” said Babalola in his reaction to the shooting of the protesters.

He added, “The response by the brain and the head is normally to take steps to treat the pain to the toe.

“Any injured person who refuses to take steps to treat pains to any part of the body does so at his own peril,” the legal practitioner noted.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now