The lawmaker representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola federal constituency, Hon. Shinna Peller has revealed that Soldiers fired at Protesters in Lekki area of Lagos State during an EndSARS protest on Tuesday night.
Peller revealed this in an interview with PUNCH while explaining why he will be dressed in an all black attire for three days.
“I decided to wear all- black and I am going to do that for the next three days purposely to mourn the victims of Black Tuesday ; the event that happened at the Lekki Tollgate where we lost Nigerians who were patriots and had stood so firm to fight in a constitutional way – through protests – to show their displeasure with police brutality and inhuman behaviour by personnel of the Nigeria Police Force.
“These were people protesting peacefully and they ( soldiers) fired at them. I felt it was high time I sympathised with them and showed a sort of respect , especially for the departed. I felt very bad.
“I was at the protest ground on the previous day and I spoke to a few of them. To realise that some of the people I spoke to were assaulted and shot at the same place that I visited , is something that breaks me down so deeply . Every time I remember all that happened , the process , talking to them and everything , it breaks me down,” Peller said.
He also explained that it is important for the National Assembly to support the victims of the shooting.
He added: “I am a member of the House of Representatives and my immediate constituency is the entertainment industry ; everybody knows where I was coming from , and this protest originated from the entertainment industry . It was the entertainers (that drove it). It showed that the people lost interest in the government , looked at the entertainers and saw them as their saviour . When it happens like that , you go back through that route – through the entertainers.
“I have tried to hold meetings with them. There was a meeting I held on October 12 , 2020 at Eko Atlantic City in Lagos . It was to try to come together and tell them that they had access to me. I would take what they put in my hands to the National Assembly. And I ’ m sure that the National Assembly would listen because it is their right . At this time , what you need to do to people is to enlighten them on their rights. When they lost belief , interest and hope in the government , you should have gone back and enlightened them instead of putting tanks on the streets . This is what I was trying to do on the side of the people, to let them know that they could have confidence in the National Assembly .
“Even on the side of the National Assembly , there are different things that we can do in this kind of situation. We need to know that the people are looking at us and we are the ones that can fight for them. At that time , we need to first of all give them listening ears. We need to ask : ‘ What are your requests ? The only way that you can get these requests from the government is through the National Assembly . By law , we are your spokespersons. ’ Every protester has a member representing them in the National Assembly . We should be able to use the National Assembly to speak for the people, which is my plight . As it is , the room is still there to do that . As a member of the Young Parliamentarians ’ Forum , I know that young people in the National Assembly are frowning on this present situation. If I am not allowed to speak on the floor of the House, the people that are worried and have come to show to me the need to start doing something , we can start to think about it together . That was the reason why we had a press conference and I decided that all I have to say will come through the Young Parliamentarians ’ Forum.”
