The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Frank Annoh-Dompreh says there is an ongoing high-level discussion between the Governments of Ghana and Nigeria on the ramifications of the #ENDSARS Movement in Nigeria.
A protest for police and governance reforms in Nigeria led by the youth turned bloody on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, when security operatives allegedly opened fire on a group of demonstrators.
Some Ghanaians have subsequently mounted pressure on President Akufo-Addo to speak up on the matter.
But in a Citi News interview, Mr. Annoh-Dompreh called on the public to hasten slowly with the request in view of the delicate nature of the matter at hand.
“The calls on President Akufo-Addo to speak is a reasonable call but however, significantly, I must admit that there are other things being done behind the scene that is not known necessarily and hence because I am privileged to know all the things that are being done, I can say that, there are a lot of consultations ongoing. It is about speaking which will elicit the necessary feedback and ultimately lead to the resolution of the matter. So I think that we should hasten with caution. Ghanaians shouldn’t forget the leadership President Akufo-Addo showed during the Mali crisis. But the situations are different, and so we all have to be patient until it is appropriate for him to speak. And let’s all pray for the good people of Nigeria.”
“But I agree that, in the interim, the Nigerian leadership would also have to exercise caution especially in warding off protesters and controlling them. I cannot confirm any steps in terms of the evacuation of Ghanaians in the country but what I know is that we are in touch with our mission in Abuja and discussions are ongoing, but we should all be worried about the lives being lost and as Ghanaians and sub-regional body, we pray that other leaders of the sub-region will listen to him and give logic for this matter to be resolved,” he said.
Background
Some media reports from Nigeria indicated that over 40 persons may have been killed with many more wounded in protests nationwide; a report disputed by the Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Sanwo-Olu said about 25 people had been wounded but denied there were any fatalities.
The incident at the Lekki tollbooth which involved the military personnel, in particular, prompted some media outlets in Nigeria to describe the day as Black Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian army has denied the reports its men opened fire on unarmed protesters and promised to investigate the issue.
It tagged several news reports on Twitter relating to the incident as “fake news”.
An indefinite 24-hour curfew has also been imposed on Lagos and some other states.
