The African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of failing to provide answers over the October 20, 2020, Lekki Toll Gate shooting, six years after the incident.
Atiku said Nigerians were still waiting to know who ordered the shooting, while accusing President Bola Tinubu of questioning victims rather than demanding accountability for the incident.
He made the remarks in a statement commemorating the sixth anniversary of the #EndSARS protest and the Lekki Toll Gate shooting on Tuesday.
Atiku recalled Tinubu’s comments shortly after the incident, in which the President appeared to question the protesters who suffered casualties during the shooting.
Atiku's statement read: “Six years after the Lekki shooting, Nigeria is still waiting for a clear answer to one devastating question: Who gave the order? Let us also not forget that in October 2020, Bola Tinubu, rather than demonstrating the empathy and compassion the tragedy demanded, suggested that those who suffered casualties during the shooting had questions to answer.
"He (Tinubu) asked: “How were they there? How long were they there? What kind of characters are they?” At a moment when Nigerians were demanding accountability for the violence against peaceful protesters, his response appeared more concerned with questioning the victims than demanding answers from those responsible.
“The anger trending across the country today is not a social media performance. It is grief that has been left to harden into distrust. It is the pain of families still demanding answers, and of young people who watched their calls for dignity meet violence and then watched the country move on without the truth they deserve.
“The APC has governed Nigeria through these six years. It cannot keep asking Nigerians to remember the dead while refusing to confront the unanswered questions. A government that cannot give citizens confidence that their lives matter has failed one of its most basic duties.
“And the hardship young people face today deepens that betrayal. Petrol at ₦1,405 a litre means more than an expensive journey. It means less money for food, school, rent and work. It means a young person can do everything asked of them and still find the door to a decent life shut in their face.
“The APC promised renewal. For too many Nigerians, the experience has been rising costs, shrinking opportunity and a future pushed further out of reach. No speech about growth can excuse empty pockets. No anniversary tribute can replace justice. No campaign slogan can erase six years of unanswered questions.
“Just this morning, one of my aides told me about a young woman who was forced to resign from her job this month because her salary could no longer cover the cost of getting to work. Her words were as heartbreaking as they were revealing: “The pay no longer covers transport. Everything in Nigeria just dey increase in price. Feels like I'm working for Bolt guys.”
“Imagine that: a Nigerian who has secured employment, yet can no longer afford to remain employed. This is the cruel reality of an economy in which even those fortunate enough to have jobs are being priced out of earning a living. The policies of this government are stifling not only the unemployed but also hardworking Nigerians whose salaries have become increasingly worthless in the face of rising costs.
“This is precisely the hardship my Economic Recovery Plan is designed to address, with one overriding objective: to Make Nigeria Affordable Again. My policy response is built around relief people can feel: support tied to fuel refined in Nigeria, with the savings passed on to consumers; more local production to create jobs; protection for minimum wage earners and student support; and funding these measures by cutting waste instead of imposing new taxes.
“Young Nigerians deserve the truth about Lekki. They deserve a government that protects life, and an economy that gives work a chance to lead somewhere. Six years on, the APC has had ample time to answer for its record. Nigerians are entitled to ask why the answers and the opportunities are still missing."
Lekki Toll Gate shooting: Who gave the order - Atiku tackles Tinubu, APC