BY Tunde Thomas
Federal government has started a review of the EndSARS crisis by holding consultations with various stakeholders across the country, and the outcome will feed into an overall review of the whole crisis by the government.
Making the revelation while speaking with Editors in Lagos yesterday, the Minister for Information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed revealed that as part of the review, that Ministers have gone back to their respective states to meet with stakeholders in accordance with the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari, while a federal government delegation has also visited the various zones to consult with stakeholders.
While declaring that the purpose of the meeting was to review what transpired during the protest and the subsequent crisis and draw the necessary lessons with a view to forestalling a recurrence, especially of the mindless violence that followed the hijack of the peaceful protest.the Minister lamented that in spite of the Federal government meeting the five demands by the EndSARS protesters that the protesters continued with their protests while their demands kept expanding, until the protest was hijacked, leading to unprecedented violence characterized by killings, maiming, arson, and looting .
Speaking on how fake news, disinformation, and abuse of the social media aggravated the EndSARS crisis, the Minister stated that fake news, and disinformation were the order of the day during the protest,and the subsequent violence.
According to him: ’’Social media was used for mobilization, and it was also used to guide arsonists and looters to properties, both public and private, which were targeted for attack. Celebrities who were listed as killed at Lekki quickly dispelled the report of their deaths. However, discerning Nigerians exposed the fact that pictures of some non-Nigerians were used to justify the hoax massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate’’