President Muhammadu Buhari reacting to the leaked report of the Lagos State #EndSARS judicial panel said his government would allow the system to exhaust itself.
Speaking while receiving Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday, President Buhari said the Federal Government would wait for pronouncements from state governments which set up panels to probe police brutality in the country.
Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, disclosed this in a statement after President Buhari received Blinken at the State House, Abuja.
According to the statement, President Buhari 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.”
The president speaking on the development of democratic ethos said Nigeria has adopted the American model, “hook, line, and sinker, with its term limits. Those who have attempted to breach it were disappointed, if not disgraced.”
Blinken in his remark appreciated the contributions of President Buhari to the protection of the climate, particularly, his presence and contributions at the recent COP26 climate conference held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The US Secretary said America and Nigeria have diverse challenges, but a common denominator is security, and hoped for better partnerships, “so that the bad guys won’t get the good guys.”
Blinken also described the report of the EndSARS probe panel as “democracy in action,”adding that America equally had its own police brutality, and hoping that necessary reforms would be made.
Also, speaking at a joint press conference later with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the US Secretary of State insisted that the responses by Lagos State and the Federal Government regarding the #EndSARS reports must show accountability, while the grievances of victims should also be looked into.
Blinken said: “We are working with Nigeria to address security challenges, including those posed by Boko Haram, ISIS West Africa (ISWAP) and other terrorist and extremist groups.
“In meetings with the President and the Vice President, we discussed the importance of a comprehensive approach that builds effective security forces that addresses the underlying drivers of extremism and respects Nigerians basic human rights.
“The United States is committed to helping Nigeria do that by continuing to invest in our security partnership, and the institutions that strengthen the rule of law, and that hold accountable those who commit human rights abuses, corruption and other acts that harm the Nigerian people. By tackling these issues, we can help to address some of the problems that have been key drivers of insecurity.
“To that end, let me say that we welcome the conclusion of the investigation by the independent inquiry established by the Lagos State government to look into the events that took place at Lekki Tollgate in October 20, 2020, and this, of course, was amidst the #EndSARS protest, including the killings and other alleged abuses by the security forces.
“We anticipate and look to the state and the Federal Government’s response to the findings, and expect those to include steps that ensure accountability and address the grievances of the victims and their families.”
Recall that up till last month during the one year commemoration of the #EndSARS protest, the Federal Government had constantly denied that unarmed protesters were killed at the tollgate on October 20, 2020, with the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, describing the incident as a “massacre without bodies.”
