A former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has warned against criminalising of #EndSARS protests embarked upon by youths in the country.
The protest was against police brutality and bad governance in the country.
The lawmaker representing Imo West District in the Senate said this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos Governor at the State House, Marina on Thursday evening.
A statement from the Lagos State Government quoted Okorochas as cautioning against “demonising the youths who led the protests”.
The statement was titled, ‘EndSARS protests: Okorocha salutes Sanwo-Olu’s leadership, courage’.
He also said that “there was no reason to criminalise the protesters in spite the violence that trailed their demonstration.”
The two-term governor noted that “the protesters’ demands were in good faith” and called on “political leaders to embrace them as caring fathers”.
The lawmaker, however, condemned the violence that trailed the protests, saying the mayhem in which several public assets were destroyed had robbed the future generations of valuable inheritance.
He said, “The protest is a lesson for all of us; we must take the advantage of the outcome to rebuild and reunite our country. I have no doubt that Lagos will come out of this stronger than it used to be, given Sanwo-Olu’s exemplary leadership in handling the issue.”
Sanwo-Olu was quoted as saying that “the coordinated arson drew Lagos a few steps backward.”
The governor reiterated that he was still in support of the agitations of the protesters and would work with them to realise their five-point demands.
