In a released statement on Sunday, Timi Frank, a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately issue an order for the unconditional release of all protesters detained by the police and other security forces.
Frank also called upon the President to prevent further violence and the use of lethal force by law enforcement agencies against peaceful protesters.
Acknowledging the well-intentioned nature of the ongoing protests, Frank highlighted the exploitation of these demonstrations by sponsored groups in some states with the aim of discrediting the organizers and providing security forces a pretext to suppress the protests.
Frank emphasized that Nigerians have the inherent right to protest against government policies that adversely affect them and to demand changes for the collective good.
He criticized the security forces for non-compliance with court orders, which led to unjust killings, arrests, brutalization, and incarceration of protesters, as well as the hijacking of protests by government-sponsored agents to carry out criminal acts.
Frank expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wished a speedy recovery for the injured. He called for the International Criminal Court to hold the Inspector General of Police and all Service Chiefs in Nigeria accountable for the recent killings of unarmed protesters.