Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), the umbrella association of all registered political parties and political associations in the country, has called for the immediate resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, and the Director General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBA), Prof. Armstrong Aduku Idachaba, for their ignoble roles in the shooting of unarmed protesters at Lekki Toll Gate and the unpatriotic attempt to cover up the extrajudicial killings Nigerians singing the National Anthem while protesting killings of their compatriots by security forces.
The CNPP’s Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday while reacting to CNN’s investigative report that indicated the Nigerian Army in the Lekki Massacre, called on “the International Criminal Court of Justice to investigate, arrest and prosecutive them and other of their co-travellers for crimes against humanity to serve as deterrent to other African leaders who kill unarmed peaceful demonstrators, protesting bad policies of government.”
“Nigerian democracy is in danger as the voice of opposition is being silenced by the Federal Government of Nigeria, using all arms of government and instrumentalities of the office of the executive to shut the voices of oppressed citizens.
“It is now obvious that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration deliberately engaged the Director General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission to intimidate, harass and stampid Nigerian broadcast media houses in a bid to cover up the Lekki Massacre by slamming unjustifiable N3 million fine on three television stations over reports on the killings.
“As if the killings by the Nigerian Police, through its Special Anti-Robbery Squad unit, were not enough, President Muhammadu Buhari as the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian armed forces authorised the use of maximum force to disperse unarmed citizens protesting against bad leadership and extrajudicial killings in the country.
“It is a shame that Nigerian government and Nigerian army have no respect for our national flag and Anthem.
“The outcome of CNN investigation now raises strong doubts on the loyalty or allegiance of the Nigerian security agencies to the Nigerian nation.
“Sovereignty belongs to the people and if the people for whom Nigerian President holds power in trust are now murdered in cold blood by their employees paid through their taxes, there is danger ahead for our democracy.
“To save Nigerian democracy, and all democracies in Africa, the International Criminal Court of Justice must now unmask all the state and non-state actors involved in the killing of Nigerian patriots at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos.
“The CNN was very conclusive when it noted on its website that ‘the Nigerian army has called allegations that it fired into the crowd “fake news” and told a judicial panel of inquiry that it did not shoot at any civilian but a new CNN investigation can reveal this is not true’.
“In view of the new CNN’s insights into the Lekki Massacre perpetrated by agents of the state on orders of the authorities of the Nigerian state, we demand the immediate resignation of their Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari, Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, and the Director General of the NBC, Prof. Armstrong Aduku Idachaba, for their anti-people roles in the killings and the attempts to cover up the massacre of unarmed Nigerian people at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on October 2020.
“If the Manuel Merino, President of Peru, resigned following the death of two protesters, it is time for President Buhari to resign if he still has any integrity left”, the CNPP said.
