The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to without further delay set up an independent National Truth Commission on the reported killing of peaceful protesters by security agencies during the #ENDSARS protests.
It also demanded an investigation into alleged recruiting of hoodlums by agents of the government to disrupt the patriotic demonstration by Nigerian youths against police brutality in the country.
The opposition party made the demand in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Friday.
The party said it found it very strange that the Buhari Presidency had remained evasive and chose to push the responsibility of enquiry to the states, despite widespread allegations of involvement of federal government interests in the crime against humanity going on in Nigeria.
The statement said, “PDP’S call for a National Truth Commission is predicated on the failure of the Buhari administration to come clean on the involvement of the military in the Lekki shooting as well as the recruiting of hoodlums to attack peaceful protesters in Abuja and other parts of the country.
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“Nigerians remain alarmed by the contradicting claims by the government on the Lekki killing. It is recalled that in its first reaction, the military denied deploying troops to Lekki Toll Gate.
“This denial was followed by a strange claim by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who pointed accusing fingers to faceless hoodlums in military uniform as being responsible for the Lekki killing, only for the military to later inform the Lagos enquiry panel that the military was invited to the Lekki Tollgate by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“In the same vein, Nigerians are disturbed by the contradicting claims by Governor Sanwo-Olu, who earlier asserted that there was no causality at Lekki Toll Gate, only for him to admit afterwards that one person died and later changed his figure to two.”
The PDP raised a concern that the Federal Government had failed to make any clarifications on the viral video showing armed hoodlum being brought in vehicles belonging to security agencies and openly coordinated to unleash violence on unarmed and peaceful protesters in Abuja and other parts of the country.
It said, “The global community has been in distress over graphic videos of the night shooting at Lekki Toll Gate as well as the gory pictures of Nigerians killed while waving our nation’s flag and singing the national anthem in protest against police brutality and myriads of injustices under the Buhari administration.
