A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai and the service chiefs in general.
The group in a statement also demanded the immediate suspension of the Army’s newly launched Operation Crocodile Smile VI over the shooting of unarmed protesters on Tuesday at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos.
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It urged the military to use a non-kinetic approach to engage protesters.
The CSOs also tasked the President to constitute Independent Commission of Enquiry to unravel the killings and bring the perpetrators to book.
The statement by Prof Ibrahim Alkali for Coalitions Against Injustice in Africa; Dr Hassan Baba Khalid, for Centre on Equity and Human Rights Africa; Prof P. O. Okeke for Action Against Bad Governance; Mr Kolawole Adesina for Citizens Watch Forum and Rev. Dr Paul Kaigama for Centre for Peace and Good Governance, on behalf of others, regretted the peaceful protests meant to draw the attention of authorities to take action on certain fault lines in governance but was hijacked by some unscrupulous elements.
The CSOs said: “The launch of Operation Crocodile Smile VI by the Nigerian Army and subsequent use of the kinetic approach in engaging the protesters by men of the Nigerian Army was the most reprehensible.
“It is unfortunate that this action which is not acceptable in any form in a civil society regrettably resulted in the killing of armless protesters at Lekki Tollgate, Lagos.
“This ugly development no doubt has inflamed passion among the people and thus escalated tension in all parts of the country at the moment.
“The resultant effect of this is the ongoing destruction of private and public infrastructures across the country today.
“Having viewed the development closely, we wish to categorically condemn the action of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai.
“We call on President Muhammad Buhari, to as the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces to immediately order the immediate suspension of Operation Crocodile Smile VI.
“We ask that he follows this up with the sack of the Chief of Army Staff in particular and all the current service chiefs, in general, to pave way for a new and efficient security architecture.
“Like we observe, for Nigerians to trust the President and believe him that the soldiers acted on their own, he must not only immediately sack the Chief of Army Staff and all the officers concerned but also immediately hand them over for prosecution.
“We believe that taking this first step will calm frayed nerves and restore the peoples’ confidence once more in his ability to provide them the desired security,” the statement said.
