A group of Media Managers, under the aegis of the Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF), commiserate with families 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 the 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 frowns as the protest had degenerated into into worrisome, 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 highjack 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 had 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 deem 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 any reason, as such the Forum is pained by the death of our youths who’s only offense is asking for good governance.
The Forum also condemn the reported attacks on journalists, media houses, security men who are performing their lawful duties.
DOPF decried the highjack 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 supported 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 to allow the deaths of some of the protesters dim the fire of call to restructure the system of governance in Nigeria.
