By Our Correspondent in Lokoja
Patriots for Growth and Development Initiative (PGDI), a Kogi-based Non‐Governmental Organization, has called on Federal and State Governments to deploy every legal and constitutional means to end the nationwide EndSARS protests.
Mr Isaac Salami, Executive Director of PGDI, made the call at a news Conference in Lokoja.
Salami said the call became necessary to protect lives and livelihoods of Nigerians, in view of the escalating acts of disruption, attacks and killings in recent days in some parts of the country.
He said that the trend, if not quickly arrested, could plunge the nation into a state of anarchy, just as he attributed the development to handwork of of Fifth-columnists.
He described the protest as “A careful planned effort and hardwork of Fifth-columnist and enemies. If you see crises coming into peaceful agitations like this, know that the 5th Columnists are at work to subvert the relative peace and unity in Nigeria.
Salami noted that President Muhammadu Buhari, in his October 12 national broadcast, stated that the disbandment of SARS was only the first step in government’s commitment to police reform.
He noted that the Federal government had started implementing all the five-point demands of the protesters, adding that he did not see any justification for the escalation of the protests.
“We therefore see no reason why the protesters should continue to be on the streets thereby creating opportunities for negative characters to perpetrate anarchy leading to threat of lives and livelihoods of Nigerians.
“We clearly understand that the original intentions of the protesting youths is for an end to SARS and Police reform. We also affirm the constitutional and democratic rights of every patriotic Nigerian to protest.
“But the violent dimension that the supposed peaceful protest has taken, in the past few days, has shown that some enemies of the State are marauding as protesters to unleash mayhem and confusion on the peace and unity of Nigeria.
“We ask the government at the Federal and State levels to use every legal and constitutional means to protect lives and livelihoods of all,” he said.
Salami also called on all patriots and leaders to lend their voices and support to end the protests across the country while the citizens await and monitor implementation of the demands to a logical conclusion.
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