A group of Media Managers, under the aegis of the Delta Online Publishers Forum, DOPF, has commiserated with families of those who lost their love ones and the injured persons in the ongoing #EndSARS protest rocking the country in the past two weeks.
The Forum in a press statement signed by the chairman, Mr. Emmanuel Enebeli, and Secretary, Mr. Shedrack Onitsha, stated that while the Forum wholeheartedly supports the protest as it was genuinely targeted at curbing what had been considered as arbitrary abuse of Nigerians for more than a decade, it however frowned as the protest had degenerated into a worrisome situation, as lives, critical infrastructure are been touched and destroyed.
The statement added that unwarranted attack on the protesters on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos, where numbers of persons were allegedly killed and scores injured could had been avoided, if the government especially, at the federal level had acted on time in checking the action of miscreants who took advantage of inaction of the federal government to hijack the peaceful protest.
“We mourn with Nigerians, on the lives lost in the cause of this protest, and we called on the Nigerian authority to investigate the incident and prosecute in public any of the killer officers.
“The deaths witnessed would have been avoided if the government, especially at the federal level has acted proactively and addressed the protesting youths and Nigerians.
“It’s shameful and annoying that till this hour, the President of the country has not deemed it fit to talk directly to Nigerians.
DOPF stated further that the loss of any Nigerian life no matter how old cannot be justified by any reason; as such the Forum is pained by the death of our youths whose only offense is asking for good governance.
The Forum also condemned the reported attacks on journalists, media houses, security men who are performing their lawful duties.
DOPF decried the hijack of the protest by some hoodlums who have abandoned the agenda of the protesters, to start attacking private businesses and State infrastructure.
It called on Nigerians to see media houses, journalists, and security operatives as people who are carrying out their lawful duties to inform, and protect lives and properties and therefore, be supportive instead of been attacked.
It further called on Nigerians to remain focused on the goal of getting the country to path of greatness, and should not allow the deaths of some of the protesters dim the fire of the call to restructure the system of governance in Nigeria.
