#EndSARS: You’ll answer for complicity – Ablakwa to Nigerian officials

The Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) to intervene and end the ongoing disturbances in Nigeria.

He stated the mayhem in Nigeria is worrying and bad for the image of Africa.

Reports say protestors had been killed in Lagos on Tuesday night, scaling up not just the disaffection against the Nigeria government but the silence of Ghana’s president who is also president of the West Africa sub-regional body ECOWAS.

In Lagos alone, the reports said, no fewer than 29 people, including two policemen, were killed when the police shot protesters in different parts of the state.

In Mushin, 17 people lost their lives during a clash involving hoodlums and policemen attached to the Olosan Division.

Mr Ablakwa who is also the Member of Parliament for North Tongu said in a statement that “The Nigerian Government must take immediate steps to end the atrocities on its own citizens. Officials, there must recognize that the modern international justice architecture leaves them with very little room for escape – they shall answer for their brutalities and complicity no matter how long it takes.

“African leaders must speak out now and demand an end to the bloodshed failing which severe sanctions must be imposed by the AU and ECOWAS. This is not the Africa we want.”

The Executive Director of the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Dr Chukwuemeka B. Eze, has also called on Chairman of the ECOWAS President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to speak up on the happenings in Nigeria and assure the Nigerian people of the measures ECOWAS is putting in place to deal with the upheaval.

Dr Eze told journalists on Wednesday October 21 that “The Ghanaian president is the current Chair of ECOWAS so I’ll be shocked if he’s not engaging behind the scenes.”

He added “but a public statement that shows the people of Nigeria that they are not alone should have gone out by now while the diplomacy continues. A public statement will provide reassurance and tell the Nigerian people that they are not alone in this”.

Several other Nigerians and Ghanaians including high profile musicians, broadcasters and actors have also taken to twitter to express their misgivings over Mr Akufo-Addo’s long silence on the issues happening in the oil-producing West African nation.

Mr Abraham Amaliba, a private legal practitioner and Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said the long silence of Mr Akufo-Addo is disturbing.

Speaking on this development on TV3’s New Day programme on Wednesday October 21 with Johnnie Hughes, Mr Amaliba noted that Mr Akufo-Addo has been too relaxed on this matter.

He said the President should have by now issued a statement on the happenings.

“This president has been sleeping a lot on national and international issues. He should have spoken by now,” Mr Amaliba said.

He further stated that “Ghana will need to take a cue from this. As politicians we need to ensure that what is happening in Nigeria does not happen.

“We need to take care of the welfare and the needs of the people. Akufo-addo is taking care of the welfare and needs of only the people of his ethnic clan.

“We have never seen in this country before where a president has appointed over 50 people close to him into office. That angers people. These are some of the things that we need to avoid.

“The president as ECOWAS by now should be speaking, by now should be engaging with his counterpart in Nigeria.”