My good people of Edo state, it is with great sadness that I convey this message.
It is all over the news the unfortunate events that have engulfed our nation and especially our dear State, resulting in loss of lives and wanton destruction of properties. On behalf of my colleagues and I, I wish to sympathise and commiserate with the families of those whose lives have been cut short by this distressing developments in the past one week.
I want to state clearly as a youth, and also, as the Speaker of the Edo state House of Assembly that I stand with every citizen who have genuinely and peacefully come out to lend their voices to the call for reforms in the various sectors of our society.
I condemn in its entirety the hijack of the protests by criminal elements who have taken advantage to perpetuate their unwholesome activities which have led to loss of innocent lives, destruction of properties, distraction from the genuine objectives of the peaceful agitations and have created fear and panic in our land.
I want to admonish the very genuine and positive minded young men and women who had earlier conducted themselves peacefully and whose agitations yielded some good results with the disbandment of SARS and the government’s promises to address other issues, to reconsider their position and cooperate with government with a view to fishing out the criminal elements that have infiltrated the ranks of genuine protesters and who may not understand the original purpose of the agitations.
I want to use this medium to call on the security agencies to be more professional in the management of the situation so as not to incur further loss of lives and/or aggravate an already tensed situation.
May God restore peace to our Country Nigeria and particularly our dear State of Edo.
God bless you all.
Rt Hon Marcus Onobun
Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly
