The Aftermath of Black Tuesday birthed a flurry of disturbing events in Nigeria. One of them included an attack at the Palace of the Oba of Lagos.
A team of armed soldiers on Wednesday morning rescued the Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu, from angry protesting youth who reportedly invaded the palace and attempted to burn it down.
Confirming the development to Premium times, the personal assistant to the monarch, Deoye Olumegbon, said a team of soldiers in about five vehicles had responded to a distress call and whisked Mr Akiolu away.
“Kabiyesi is safe. Soldiers came to rescue him. But thugs have vandalised and looted the palace. No one is dead but they carted away valuable properties,†Mr Olumegbon, a prince from the Olumegbon royal family, told our reporter on the phone.
Other witnesses, including a worker at a nearby government hospital, who craved anonymity, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES how rampaging youths had besieged the palace after successfully burning down the Ebute Ero police post.
The police post, which is located in Idumota, has the palace as part of its jurisdiction. According to Mr Olumegbon, the divisional police officer at the police post, who was identified simply as Shina, reportedly suffered an injury during the crisis.
He, however, said the palace was not set ablaze as reported in some media.
Another resident of the palace, identified simply as TJ, told our reporter that as of 12 noon, the police officers at the Area A command at Lion Building, Lagos Island, are repelling attacks from hoodlums who are currently attempting to set it ablaze.
Mr Akiolu, a retired senior police officer, is a staunch supporter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In 2015, he threatened to harm non-Yoruba speaking residents of the city if they failed to vote for the party’s candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, during the governorship election.
Last month Liberian President, George Weah declared a state of emergency on rape in Liberia due to the sudden increase in rape cases in the country. However, the scourge continues.
It was a beautiful morning, and Rachel has just returned from the market to help her mother to cook the family’s meal for the day. Happy and excited that the meal was about to be prepared, Rachel, immediately jumped into the kitchen to help her mother out, but in the process, nature came calling.
As she left for the toilet, little did Rachel know about the shock that was about to come her way — being raped by someone she considered as a father figure — an uncle.
“I cannot still believe he did this to me. I wish I had known; I was not going to use his toilet. The pains and shame is unbearable. This was somebody I knew and respected totally. I cannot believe someone I called uncle would do this to me. Ohh God, why me?†said a tearful Rachel, whose name has been changed to protect her identity.
Her horrific experience began when she left her house on Sunday, October 18, to use the public toilet in the Jamaica Road community, which is managed by the perpetrator, a man only identified as Flomo, who preyed on her vulnerability to abuse her.
Flomo, who Rachel accused of constant harassment in the past forced himself on the victim after asking her to come to his room, which is adjacent the toilet.
“I soon as I entered the room, he threw me down on the bed and began to rape me. I plead with him to stop, but he did not. That’s how I started yelling and crying for help, before my brother came in the room to rescue me,†Rachel explained. Before the incident, Flomo has been in the constant habit of harassing me each time I went to the toilet.
The issue of rape and other sexual violence crimes have been under the spotlight recently, since a 19-year-old boy in rural Liberia allegedly used a razor blade to expand the genitals of a 3-year-old girl in order to penetrate her.
That attack and the rampant increase of rape cases in the first five months, particularly during the height of the coronavirus outbreak in Liberia, in which more than 600 rape cases were reported, led to huge protests. In response to the anti-rape protests, President Weah declared rape as a national emergency, but there has been no sign of crimes against women and girls abating. According to recent crime figures, in an overwhelming number of rape cases, such as the case with 13-year-old Rachel, the victims know the perpetrators.
Under the national rape emergency, Weah announced several measures, including the appointment of a special prosecutor for rape and the establishment of a National Sex Offender Registry and a National Security Taskforce on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), among others.
“We are witnessing an epidemic of rape within the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting mostly children and young girls across the country,†President Weah said at the national anti-rape conference in September this year.
Also narrating the ordeal, Rachel’s mother said that she was seriously taken by surprise about the incident.
“We were about to cook when my daughter told me that she wanted to use the toilet. So I give her L$10 as toilet fee. It was not long when a neighbor came calling me to go see what has happened. When I got there, I broke down in tears and could not believe what my eyes have seen. It was terrible and it is still now.â€
According to Rachel’s mother, after hearing that the old man has raped her daughter she was so ashamed to look in the girl’s face.
“I became so confused to the extent I didn’t know what do,†she said.
Meanwhile, Flomo has been arrested and is currently behind bars at the Free Port Zone 10 police depot, awaiting the medical report from the incident, to be forwarded to court.
ENDSARS: FORMER VICE PRESIDENT, ATIKU ABUBAKAR SPEAKS
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A former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the shooting of protesters in Lagos on Tuesday, saying he was “heartbrokenâ€.Mr Abubakar said this on Wednesday via a post on his Facebook page.
“For over a week, our young people have been trying to draw our attention to their grievances of the #EndSARS movement, sadly it reached a violent crescendo yesterday, with the unprovoked killing of unarmed and peaceful protesters,†Mr Abubakar said.“Even while they demonstrated their patriotism by singing the national anthem.
I am heartbroken at this turn of events and deeply condole with the families of the victims. I feel their pains and the pains of the injured and maimed.â€
Soldiers opened fire on peaceful protesters at the Lekki toll gate on Tuesday evening, killing many, according to witnesses. The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said at least 25 people sustained gunshot wounds
The governor, however, said no fatality was recorded in the shooting.
Apart from the Lagos shootings, protesters have also been shot in Ondo, Oyo, and Delta States.
Several prominent persons have also reacted to the shooting.
Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, described the incident as reminiscent of the “Abacha days.â€
Isn't it surprising? Till now the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari has not addressed Nigerians despite all that has happened. But a Former Vice President, Atiku, even Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has.It begs the question: "does the present government care anything for its citizens?"
GHANAIAN PRESIDENT SPEAKS CALLS FOR DIALOGUE WITH ENDSARS PROTESTERS
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The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, said President Muhammadu Buhari has begun the processes that will lead to police reforms, as he calls for calm and dialogue to resolve the issues surrounding reported cases of chaos related to the #EndSARS protests.
Akufo-Addo disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday evening, which comes a day after peaceful protesters are were allegedly shot at by the Nigerian military at the Lekki toll gate holdout. His tweet:
“I join all well-meaning persons in calling for calm and the use of dialogue in resolving the #EndSARS impasse in Nigeria.
“I have spoken with President Buhari, who is committed to this end, and has begun the processes that will lead to reform,†Nana Akufo – Addo said.
He added that the use of violence by security agents is not a solution and expresses his condolences.
“Violence, be it on the part of the police or protesters, cannot be the solution. To the families who have lost their loved ones, I express my sincere condolences, and I wish the injured a speedy recovery,†he added.
Akufo-Addo joins other global leaders like former US Presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, who has called on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and the Nigerian Army to stop the killing of young protesters in the country.
FORMER NIGERIAN PRESIDENT, OLUSEGUN OBASANJO CALLS ON PRESIDENT BUHARI
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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to restrain the military and other security forces from using brute force to quell protests.
Obasanjo disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘Statement on Violence Against Protesters In Nigeria: An Appeal for Calm’ issued on Wednesday.
According to him, it was obvious that President Buhari and his lieutenants didn’t exhaust all avenues before deploying soldiers.
He said history had shown that killing protesters only worsens the crisis and makes dialogue impossible.
He said, “The shooting and murder of unarmed protesters, no matter the level of provocation, has never been effective in suppressing public anger and frustration. Instead, such actions only reinforce the anger and frustration of the populace and close the window of dialogue and peaceful resolution.
“It is clear that Mr President and his lieutenants did not exhaust the opportunities for dialogue with the protesters before resorting to the use of force.â€
Obasanjo said it was worse that despite overwhelming evidence, the authorities were still denying ever killing protesters.
He, therefore, called on the President to take swift action before things spiral out of control.
The former President stated, “It is worse that there is a denial of wrongdoing in spite of overwhelming visual evidence. Great harm has been done but it can be stopped before it completely spirals out of control.
“We are at a critical moment in this crisis and the President must act now before it is too late. This time demands leadership and mature leadership at such.â€
He said most of the demands made by the #EndSARS protesters, which had been conveyed to the President by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State were not unrealistic.
The former President said, “It is imperative that leaders at all levels, starting with Mr President, must demonstrate meekness, humanity and sincerity in meeting the legitimate demands of the protesters and ensuring that justice is served where it must be served. These are the potent ways of ending this crisis now.â€
However, the former President also called on the youths to give peace a chance, adding that the destruction and looting must stop.
What to expect
The youth are expected to give peace a chance while making their legitimate demands. They must be mindful of miscreants who will infiltrate their ranks and give the protests a bad name so that trigger-happy forces will kill them.
The United Nations secretary-general has condemned the “violent escalation†in Lagos which he said had resulted in “multiple deaths" and “many injuriesâ€.
Antonio Guterres called for “an end to reported police brutality and abuses†in Nigeria, an investigation into the shooting of protesters, and for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
A spokesperson added: "The secretary-general urges the security forces to act at all times with maximum restraint while calling on protestors to demonstrate peacefully and to refrain from violence.
“The secretary-general encourages the authorities to swiftly explore avenues to de-escalate the situation. He reiterates the readiness of the United Nations to support national efforts towards finding a solution.â€
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