Atiku: I Stand with Families Who Lost Loved Ones to #EndSARS

*Says his heart is still shattered  

*Group wants human rights violators prosecuted 

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, in commemoration of the second anniversary of the October 2020 #EndSARS protest against police brutality, said his position on #EndSARS had not changed and therefore stood with Nigerians, who lost their loved ones to the incident.

Atiku, in a statement he personally signed said the sad memory of what happened during the protest could not be wished away so quickly and had left his heart shattered.

This is as the federal government has been urged to ensure that perpetrators of human rights violations were prosecuted and victims given justice, in order to ensure that the #Endsars protests did not repeat itself in the country.
However, according to Atiku, “Two years ago, on this day, I shared a statement of sincere disappointment, anger, condemnation and pain. Two years after, that position has not changed.

“The sad memory of what happened is what we cannot wish away. There’s still a compelling need for Police reforms incorporating state police and justice for those who have suffered police brutality.”

Referring  to the video he shared during the ENDSARS, Atiku said, “I maintain the position expressed in this video broadcast on 20/10/20. Our children must be heard and provided with spaces to express themselves within the ambit of the law and given opportunities too.

“My heart is still shattered for the families, who lost loved ones during the #endsars demonstration. I stand with all families still grieving from their losses.”
Also, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, during a capacity building workshop for human rights monitors held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, lamented that the issues that led to #Endsars protest were still continuing, saying many victims of human rights abuses were yet to get justice.
Nwanguma appealed to various states government who set up judicial panels of enquiries on human rights violations during ENDSARS protest, to implement the reports of the panels.
“There are lessons that must be taken from that unfortunate outcome of #Endsars protests, which ended with #Lekkimassacre. The fact is that the government should understand the need to respect the rights of citizens.
“The government must understand that if the human rights of citizens are not respected, citizens are likely to recourse to rebellion. That is why human rights are protect by the rule of law. And also understand that there is a link between respect for human rights and promoting peace.”