The Joint Action Front has said it does not have trust in the Lagos State Judicial Panel to probe the shooting and killing of peaceful and armless #ENDSARS protesters at Lekki Toll Gate area by the Nigerian Army.

The group said an independent panel must be set up to investigate the killing of Nigerians, adding that the panel must consist of lawyers, health workers, youth groups and major groups.

In a joint statement by Comrade Achike Chude, Deputy Chairperson; and Comrade Abiodun Aremu, Secretary of JAF, the rights group described the attack on protesters as “mindless mass shooting”, adding that the stage for the Lekki shooting “was on rehearsals in Abuja, Jos, Benin, Port Harcourt, Osogbo, Ilorin, Kano, Ibadan, Lagos, etc and other centres across the country where state sponsored violence, employing the use of rented crowds of mercenaries (called thugs and miscreants), for over two weeks, to attack the peaceful protests”.

JAF said, “We hold that the government has been characteristically telling lies about the casualties of the Lekki shooting. It is also reprehensible and irresponsible that President Buhari did not mention the Lekki shooting in his last national broadcast. All this was done to cover up the crime against humanity committed by the Buhari government.

“So, we don’t have trust in the judicial panel of inquiry set up by the Lagos government to probe Lekki shooting. Rather, we would call for an independent panel of enquiry comprising representatives of civil society organizations, Bar associations, medical associations, youth groups, trade unions and media to probe the Lekki shooting and other state sponsored attacks on peaceful protests in Lagos and across the country.

“We call for immediate and adequate compensation for all the victims of the brutal repression of the #EndSARS protests by the military, police and state sponsored thugs across the country.”

The group urged Nigerian youth not to give in to the deceit and machination of the ruinous ruling elite and their sidekicks to divide them along ethnic and religious lines.

It stressed that the “thieving elite loot the collective wealth of their own accord, not in the name of any religion or ethnic group”, and the youth must unite against their common oppressors who are drawn from all ethnic and religious groups.

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.