20th October, 2020
By Taiwo Okanlawon
Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has called on leaders of the #EndSARS protest to come forward so the government can interact with them.
Bello stated this on Monday while addressing the protesters.
Bello was addressing the protesters for the fifth time since the protest began two weeks ago.
The #EndSARS campaigners have said multiple times they have no leader and that they’re all leaders.
But Bello said the protesters had demonstrated courage in making their demands known, adding that it was time their leaders engaged with governments.
The governor said it would be difficult for governments to know who to interface with, in resolving some of the issues if there were no leaders, adding that opportunists could hijack the gains of the protests.
“In like manner, the real leaders and spokespersons of these protests must also begin to ‘show face’ now to enable governments know who to interface with.
“We cannot even appoint people into the various bodies being set up to address your demands without being afraid that opportunists who have no credibility with you are hijacking it,” he said.
The governor warned that despite their grievances, they must resist the temptation of seeking an undemocratic change in leadership
Bello had earlier inaugurated 10 man Human Rights Special Intervention Group (HRSIG) to help respond to the legal needs of the victims as part of the step taken to mitigate against persistent violations of the rights of Residents in Kogi & the inability of the less privileged to access justice.
The members of the Committee were drawn from Police, DSS, Civil Defence Corps, National Human Rights Commission, Ministry of Justice, NBA, the Committee Secretariat is with PDCRC Office.