#ENDSARS: Aare Adams Calls For Peace, Urges FG To Embrace Call For Regionalism

The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, on Saturday, urged the Nigerian youths to embrace peace as the best means to drive home their demand for police reforms and other sundry issues affecting the nation.

Extolling the rare determination and courage displayed by the youths in the last three weeks, Aare Adams said the Nigerian Youths of today have also written their names in gold for raising their voices against police brutality and standing up to fight against bad leadership.

Adams, in a statement, also commiserated with the families of those that lost their loved ones in the course of the struggle, adding that those that fell to the bullets of the army will surely be remembered as heroes and they will always live in the minds of Nigerians forever because they had paid the supreme price for liberty and justice.

He said: “I condemn the killings of some of the peaceful protesters in Lekki Toll gate. It was one killing too many and I also stand with the families of those killed. I’m with you at this moment of grief. I share your pains. I mourn with you. I shed tears with you. I feel your sorrow. Mankind cannot create life and has no right to take one especially the lives of people protesting against an unjust system. The loss of one life is a tragedy not to talk of many more lives.

“The deaths were avoidable. The people who lost their lives could have been saved. There was no reason for the vicious attacks on innocent citizens. It is therefore, very important for the Federal Government to unravel those behind the killings.”

Aare Adams also condemned the destruction of private and public properties, saying that some of the assets destroyed represent the bedrock of Yoruba political economy and agelong civilization.

He said: “City Hall, Lagos Television and many others are legacies of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

“We condemn, in the strongest term, this reckless and coordinated attempt to destroy Yoruba economic birthright.”

While urging those trying to put ethnic or tribal colourations to the wanton destructions of public properties in some parts of Lagos, he urged the purveyors of such misinformation to desist from spreading lies against the Igbo, adding that those hoodlums that engaged in the looting and destruction of public properties did that for their selfish end, stressing that some of the Igbos in Lagos also lost their businesses and properties to the ugly incident.

He said: “At a critical moment, the strategic assets were left unprotected. This has exposed how insecure we are as a people.

“It is sad that some individuals are now giving tribal and ethic colourations to the incident of destruction and looting across the state. Those that hijacked the peaceful protest did that for their selfish interests and I think the state government must also investigate the whole events that played out during the last three weeks. There must be a thorough investigation into the killings and wanton destruction of properties in Lagos and the government must ensure that perpetrators of that dastardly acts face the full weight of the law.

“More so, I wish to state it clearly that we should embrace peace and stop fanning the embers of tribal wars across the state.