President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday told past leaders of the country that the peaceful and genuine protest of youths in parts of the country against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was hijacked and misdirected.
A statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said Buhari stated this in a virtual meeting with the former Nigerian leaders, in Abuja on Friday.
At the meeting were all living past leaders, including: Gen. Yakubu Gowon, President Olusegun Obasanjo, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan, Gen. Abulsalami Abubakar, and former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Buhari said his administration heeded the demands of youths protesting against the excesses of some members of the SARS.
The President declared: ”We accepted all the demands and proceeded immediately to scrap SARS and started the process of addressing the other demands.
”Unfortunately, the protesters refused to call off the protest and engage the government to address their grievances. Instead, they became emboldened and gradually turned violent.”
Buhari expressed concern that in the mayhem that ensued, many lives had been lost, a number of public and private properties completely destroyed or vandalised.
The President reiterated that the government would not fold its arms and allow miscreants and criminals continue to perpetrate acts of hooliganism in the country.
