A coalition of civil society groups has asked President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to investigate the recent attack on Kamsi Ibeh and assassination threats against Olu Adegboruwa, Wiseman Kunle, and Barrister Faroti.
Making this demand at a press briefing, the coalition, made up of 14 civil societies, registered its displeasure at the manner in which officials of the government responded to Lagos judicial panel report.
As testifiers and panel members, Ms Ibeh, Mr Adegboruwa, Mr Wiseman, and Barrister Faroti were actively involved in the struggle to ensure that justice is served to victims of Lekki shootings.
However, after the report got leaked last week, testifiers continued to raise the alarm of assassination threats, with Ms Ibeh suffering actual attacks in the hands of unknown individuals rumoured to be sponsored by the Lagos state government.
Stating that the integrity of the President Buhari administration was at stake, the coalition said it expects an expedited prosecution of those behind the attacks and threats once they were unmasked.
Achike Chude, the vice president of Joint Action Front, JAF, while speaking at the press briefing condemned the manhunt of protesters who witnessed the Lekki massacre.
“While the citizens of the state, and indeed Nigeria and the international community, have seen an opportunity for new beginnings in the implementation of the report, the actions by both state actors and non-state actors affiliated to the government, smack of an insidious and pernicious agenda by the government towards the report,” he said.
Oh his part Akinbode Oluwafemi, the Executive Director of CAPPA, commended the Lagos state judicial panel for its boldness and objectivity.
He lamented that the bullish and hostile reaction from government officials speak volume about the possible fate of the much anticipated white paper awaiting release.
“We have talked enough about the boldness and objectivity of the panel, which after a year of sitting, came out with a report that rightly indicted multiple agencies of the federal and Lagos state governments as well as the Lekki Concession Company.
“The body language of the state government, as well as the unwholesome bullishness and hostility of government officials over the release of the report, speaks volumes about the possible fate of the white paper awaiting released by the government,” he said.
Zikorah Ibeh, a representative of Spaces for Change, said there is a general view that the state and federal governments were uncomfortable with the report and are working hard to discredit and change the narrative.
“We sincerely hope that this is not true, but if it is, such plans will fail,” she said.
Recall that the judicial panel sparked outrage after it concluded in its report that about 46 protesters were either shot dead, injured with bullets, or assaulted by security forces at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, last year.
Some of the civil societies are Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA); Joint Action Front (JAF); Justice Development and Peace Commission; Spaces4Change (S4C); Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP); Youths Rights Campaign (YRC); Center for Dignity; and Peace and Development Project.