Ogu calls for boycott amid unrest
‘We want good governance’
NIGERIA midfielder John Ogu has called for a boycott of their coming soccer continental qualifier games to protest against police brutality amid continuing violence in the commercial capital Lagos.
Nigerians have been demonstrating for weeks against a police unit, the Special Anti-robbery Squad (Sars), that rights groups had for years accused of extortion, harassment, torture and murders.
The unit was disbanded on October 11 but the protests have persisted and rights group Amnesty International said soldiers and police killed at least 12 people in Lekki and Alausa.
The army denied that soldiers were at the site of the shooting.
Speaking to the BBC, Ogu said: “There are games coming up and if we boycott these games I’m sure they’ll know we’ve made a statement … I believe most of my colleagues understand where I’m coming from.
“What’s the point in representing the country if this is what the politicians, the people we’re representing, can do to us? I feel like this is the best thing to do now until they get back to their senses and listen to us.
“We want a good government, the police brutality to stop, we want the Sars to stop, we want the killings to stop, we want good laws, we want job opportunities,” Ogu said.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday called for an end to protests, as authorities in Lagos struggled to enforce a curfew imposed to contain anger over a crackdown on anti-police protesters.
Buhari urged youths to “discontinue the street protests and constructively engage government in finding solutions” in a televised address to the nation that marked his first public statement since the shootings.
He encouraged the international community to “know all facts available” before rushing to judgment, but made no direct reference to the shootings, prompting criticism on social media.
The unrest has become a political crisis for Buhari, a former military leader who came to power at the ballot box in 2015 and is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Some protesters have said they feared a return to the dark days of military rule.
Rights group Amnesty International has called for an “immediate and thorough investigation of allegations of unlawful killing and use of excessive force against protestors”.
The UN Human Rights chief said there was “little doubt that this was a case of excessive use of force”. | Reuters and dpa