Osun #EndSARS activists distance selves from fresh protest

Co-conveners of the #EndSARS protest in Osun state have distanced themselves from another round of protest that broke out on Monday.

Protesters had marched on the streets of Osogbo, the state capital, in what many described as the second wave of the protests.

A group of youth led by one Emmanuel Adebayo had walked to the state house of assembly in Osogbo, demanding among others the disbandment of the state panel of inquiry against police brutality, over alleged non-inclusion of EndSARS activists in the panel.

But in a letter to the state director of the Department of State Service (DSS), the EndSARS co-conveners dissociated themselves from the fresh protest, saying the promoter of the latest protest was pursuing a different agenda.

The letter was signed by Ayo Ologun; Rauf Sadiq Success; Oluwasegun Idowu; Babawale Popoola, Ismaheel Abdulazeez; State Chairman of Nigerian Youth Council, Teslim Salawudeen; President, National Association of Osun State Students (NAOSS) and Fisayo Aderemi.

They said the fresh protest was needless and unnecessary considering the recent quantum of destruction and looting that characterised the recent protest in the state and the ongoing proceedings of the panel of inquiry.

“We are compelled by prevailing circumstances as Endsars Stakeholders in Osun State to alert your good office and other security agents on the recent development which is capable of compromising the peace and progress of the state. It is before the public knowledge that fresh EndSARS protest resonated in Osun State on Monday December 7, 2020 led by one Emmanuel Adebayo, demanding among others, disbandment of Osun Judicial Panel Enquiry on Police Brutality, claiming non-inclusion of EndSARS activists in the State,” the letter read.

“Emmanuel is impersonating the EndSARS movement in Osun to make it look like his personal estate and anything that does not benefit him personally is anti-EndSARS movement.

“It is on record that when the State government constituted the panel, it was agreed that the panel should be expanded to accommodate more members of EndSARS movement which was acceded to by the government and it was collectively agreed that Ayo Ologun should be part of the panel to complement the efforts of Olusegun Idowu, a Civil Society crusader and EndSARS activist; Abdulazeez Ismaheel, State Chairman of National Youth Council of Nigeria, also a known EndSARS face; and Teslim Salawudeen, President National Association of Osun State Students( NAOSS), who were earlier nominated as members of the panel.

“It was against this development and other prevailing circumstances that all of us in EndSARS movement decided to suspend the protest on 27th of October, 2020 and Emmanuel Adebayo was among the four signatories to the position paper to suspend the protest. How and what informed the new protest without recourse to others who are stakeholders is still amazing.

“It would have been a different issue if Emmanuel had tagged his self-serving protest another name and not EndSARS protest in Osun, perhaps as co-conveners we might have no reason to join issue with him. But in a situation where an individual is attempting to turn a legitimate protest into an avenue to pursue personal agenda to erode our gains so far and at the risk of public peace and order, we are left with no choice but to put the records straight for necessary security intervention.

“As responsible youths with high stake in the progress and development of Osun, we are under obligation to intimate the security agencies of this ulterior motive and completely dissociate ourselves and our organizations from such protest.

“Hence, we consider the protest as self-serving and needless, and completely distance ourselves and our organizations from the protest and call on security agencies to be alive to their responsibility to allow the citizens of the State move peacefully and go about their legitimate business. For emphasis, Emmanuel Adebayo is pursuing a personal agenda not EndSARS agitations.

“We also urge our youths to desist from being a willing tool in the hands of those who are hell bent to use EndSARS protest as a cover to promote personal interest at the detriment of the security of the State and advise those with legitimate grievances against police brutality to approach the judicial panel of enquiry to seek redress.”