Nigerians in Diaspora Organization Americas USA notes with regret, and strongly condemns, the shooting of unarmed protesters by uniformed personnel of the Nigerian Army, on Tuesday October 20, 2020.
In a press release jointly signed by Nigerians in Diaspora Organization Americas USA Chairman, Ms. Patience Ndidi Key and Public Relations Officer, Dr. Yinka Tella, they said that this development is particularly shocking and unacceptable considering the admirable peaceful conduct of our young people who have captured the admiration of the world with their creative and elevated advocacy for an end to the culture of police stereotyping, brutalization, and extra-judicial killings of Nigerian citizens.
The statement read, “It is ironic that the peaceful cadence of the protests in the past two weeks has mostly been punctuated by hired thugs intermittently unleashed on the protesters by those who appear to be government agents.
“NIDO Americas USA calls on the government to act swiftly in enacting restorative justice to the aggrieved and grieving youth instead of escalating the situation by resorting to crude, gestapo tactics.
“A public apology should be issued to the youth and the nation from the highest level of government. Both the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Army Staff must resign immediately.
“Perpetrators of the latest and preceding extra-judicial killings must be brought to book without further delay.
“Urgent reforms of our entire security architecture cannot be delayed any further in view of the ongoing pervasive insecurity and brigandage in most parts of the country. Nigeria must reform or risk atrophy and death, the statement concluded.
