Accepting protesters’ demands emboldened them to turn violent –Buhari

The President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday claimed that his regime’s decision to accept the demands made by the youth that protested against the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force emboldened them and they gradually became violent.

Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement titled ‘How #EndSARS protest was hijacked, misdirected, President Buhari tells former Heads of State,’ quoted the President as speaking during a virtual meeting he had with former Nigerian leaders.

The President was quoted to have said, “We accepted all the demands and proceeded immediately to scrap SARS and started the process of addressing the other demands.

“Unfortunately, the protesters refused to call off the protest and engage the government to address their grievances. Instead, they became emboldened and gradually turned violent.”

Adesina further quoted Buhari as expressing concern that, in the mayhem that ensued, many lives had been lost, while a number of public and private properties were completely destroyed or vandalised.

The presidential aide stated that the President reiterated his pledge to Nigerians in a nationwide broadcast on Thursday that “we will continue to improve good governance through our democratic process, including through sustained engagement.

“We shall also continue to ensure that liberty and freedom, as well as the fundamental rights of all citizens are protected. Here, I want to also reaffirm our commitment to preserving the unity of this country.”

According to Adesina, Buhari told his predecessors that it was unfortunate that the initial genuine and well-intended protest of the youths was “hijacked and misdirected.”

The President was said to have reiterated that the government would not fold its arms and allow “miscreants and criminals to continue to perpetrate acts of hooliganism in the country.”

Buhari, according to the presidential spokesman, recounted the initial concessions made by his regime on the demands of youths protesting against the excesses of some members of the now-disbanded SARS.