By Orjime Moses, Abuja
The Citizens Initiative for Security Awareness (CISA) has pleaded with Nigerians and international community to exercise patience and give chance to the judicial panel of enquiry set up by the Lagos State government to unravel the truth surrounding the shooting of protesters at Lekki Tollgate.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday in Abuja, the National Coordinator of CISA, Chidi Omeje, said that CISA is saddened by the widespread report of unspeakable carnage across many parts of the country in the aftermath of the EndSARS protests that rocked the nation in the last couple of weeks.
He further cautioned that since the situation bothers on national security, Nigerians should not allow sentiments to becloud the quest to unravel the truth.
“We in CISA are saddened by the widespread report of unspeakable carnage across many parts of the country in the aftermath of the EndSARS protests that rocked the nation in the last couple of weeks.
“We will therefore begin by offering our heartfelt sympathies to families that lost dear ones and to people and government whose properties were destroyed, looted or burnt down. We believe that this particular crisis could have been avoidable if reason had prevailed and if we had listened to each other.
“In any case, we are happy that Lagos State government has instituted a judicial panel of enquiry comprising of legal experts, youths activists, media practitioners, etc with the mandate to unravel the truth about what transpired in that night at the protest ground in Lekki Tollgate and its aftermath.
“We therefore, urges Nigerians to give this panel a chance to do their job. The sad incident bothers on national security and we should not allow sentiments to becloud the quest to unravel the whole truth.
“Hopefully the panel will help find out if the usage of the word ‘massacre’ which literally means “indiscriminate killing of a large number of human beings,” was appropriate in describing the incident and also whether it is not strange that no single family has come forward to report loss of relation after the ‘killings’ took place.”
