Food stampedes: Tinubu, governors, lawmakers have blood on their hands, says group

The #EndBadGovernance Movement has blamed the deadly food stampedes that have claimed over 60 lives in Oyo, Anambra and the Federal Capital Territory on President Bola Tinubu’s dutiful implementation of IMF, World Bank anti-people policies.

 

A statement by Hassan Taiwo Soweto and Oloye Adegboyega-Adeniji, on behalf of the Lagos organising committee of the #Endbadgovernance Movement, blamed the deaths on the unnecessary poverty, hunger, and hardship that have caused citizens to struggle for food.

 

The statement also restates the group’s earlier call for the sack of police boss Kayode Egbetokun following Amnesty International’s damning report indicting his organization for the deaths of many Nigerians during the #EndBadGovernance protesters.

 

 

 

The statement reads, “We members of the #EndBadGovernance Movement, Lagos Chapter, commiserate with the Nigerian people over the repeated cases of deadly stampedes at charity events around the country in the past one week.

 

“According to reports, nothing less than 65 people have died in such circumstances in Ibadan in Oyo state, Okija in Anambra state as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. Among those who lost their lives are 35 children, in Ibadan, Oyo State. They were trampled to death as people rushed in desperation to get their hands on cash and items being shared by charity organizers. Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones.

 

“While obviously a case can be made about lapses in security and crowd control measures, the root cause of this unfortunate tragedy must however not be ignored. The truth which must be told is that it is the unnecessary poverty, hunger, and hardship inflicted on the Nigerian people by President Tinubu’s government’s anti-poor capitalist policies that have created an environment where citizens are forced to fight for survival. It is also the government’s failure to address the basic needs of its citizens that has led to a state of desperation, culminating in the avoidable loss of lives.

 

“Therefore, as far as we are concerned, President Tinubu, the National Assembly members, and the 36 State governors all have blood on their hands because they are each responsible for the tragic death of these Nigerians. Sadly, all President Tinubu could do in response to the unfortunate deaths was to cancel his official activities slated for Saturday August 21 without making an immediate public commitment to reverse the policies behind the tragedy and begin to take the welfare of Nigerians seriously. As far as we are concerned, this is tokenistic and performative. There is no iota of sincerity about it.

 

“Unless President Tinubu is being misadvised by his kitchen cabinet, he ought to know that it is his policies that are killing people. Apart from those who died during stampedes at charity events, hundreds of other Nigerians are committing suicide daily due to depression over inability to meet families’ needs and indebtedness. Part of President Tinubu’s constitutional responsibility is to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians. The repeated tragic deaths of hungry Nigerians over the past one week as well as recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showing that over 600, 000 people have been killed and about 2.2 million kidnapped in the last one year are serious indictment on President Tinubu as they show clearly that his government has failed woefully.

 

“To ensure that more Nigerians do not perish in similar circumstance, it is now a matter of emergency for President Tinubu to immediately reverse all the IMF/World Bank neoliberal capitalist policies that have perpetuated poverty and inequality thereby creating the enabling environment for the tragic occurrences. These policies include fuel subsidy removal and the attendant hike in fuel prices, devaluation of the naira, hike in electricity tariff, intensive commercialization of public education and health care. We hereby demand investments in social welfare programs, public education, agriculture, public healthcare, and job creation.

 

“We also use this opportunity to respond to a development surrounding the Amnesty International report titled: Nigeria: Bloody August: Nigerian government’s violent crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protests. On Sunday 22nd December 2024, the PRO of the Nigerian Police Force, Muyiwa Adejobi, addressed a press conference wherein he dismissed this crucial report which exposes the flagrant violations committed by the police and other security forces during the #EndBadGovernance protest in August including the extra judicial killing of 24 people in Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kaduna, Niger, and Borno states. According to the Force PRO, an internal investigation set up by the Police failed to corroborate Amnesty International’s finding, therefore, Amnesty International must retract the report and publicly apologize to the police.

 

“This is not only laughable but sad. In the first instance, the so-called police internal investigation is a gross violation of the widely known principle of natural justice “Nemo judex in causa sua” which means that no one should be a judge in his own cause. For an institution indicted of gross human rights violations to organize an internal investigation to either corroborate or refute allegations made against it is a novelty that deserves nothing less than a Guinness Book of World records.

 

“If the Nigerian Police Force had even taken the least step required to demonstrate good faith which is for the Inspector General of Police being the principal officer under whom the repression of August occurred to step down, perhaps this so-called internal investigation would have measured up to some standard of probity and impartiality. But the Nigerian police could not be bothered because it doesn’t care. Don’t forget, this was the same Nigerian Police Force that caused the country global embarrassment earlier in November when officers brought to court and arraigned over 32 under-aged, sick and malnourished children for treason.

 

“We think it is now time to ask the Force PRO, Muyiwa Adejobi, and his boss, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to stop any further embarrassment of the Nation. As an indicted party, it is not the responsibility of the police to carry out an internal investigation. That is why the Amnesty International specifically asked President Bola Tinubu to “constitute an independent and impartial investigation of human rights violations during the #Endbadgovernance protests”.

 

“We hereby reiterate our call on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately step down in order to allow for an impartial probe. We call for the setting up of an independent probe panel democratically constituted by elected representatives of professional bodies like the Nigeria bar Association (NBA), National Union of Journalists (NUJ), trade union associations, youth and civil society organizations to carry out a transparent investigation into the damning findings of the Amnesty International report regarding the conduct of officers of the Nigerian police and other security forces during the hunger protest in August.

 

“In conclusion, we call on the Nigerian people to arise and say: Enough is enough! It is time to hold the Tinubu government accountable for his actions and policies. As far as we are concerned, the Nigerian people deserve better. They deserve a government that prioritizes their well-being and dignity. Let us unite to demand a better future for ourselves, our children, and our communities. Let us rise up and say enough is enough to bad governance!”