By Tony Akowe, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus in the House of Representatives has asked the Federal Government to set up a compensation fund for victims of police brutality.
The PDP lawmakers also asked the government to consider establishment of an unemployment benefit fund powered by the three levels of government to cushion the biting effect of the downward economic realities in the country.
In a statement in Abuja by Leader of the caucus,Hon. Kingsley Chinda, the lawmakers advised President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately up a judicial commission of enquiry to look into the grievances of Nigerians with a view to putting in place a clear cut roadmap on how to put country back on track.
The opposition lawmakers expressed solidarity with the masses and condemned “brazen attack on armless citizens who were only expressing their fundamental human rights as permitted in every democratic society”.
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Chinda said after an emergency meeting to review the state of the nation, the PDP lawmakers resolved to frown at the “mindless killing of Nigerians (their Constituents) who were already demonstrating against unresolved cases of extra judicial murders orchestrated by government forces and commiserates with families of all those including policemen who lost their lives whilst praying for the repose of their souls.
“Leaning on the widely held consensus of inequality that has gripped the nation, the PDP green chamber caucus wondered why the leadership of the nation instead of heeding to citizens call for responsive leadership would resort to watching machinery of state sniff life out of harmless agitators, in a decade of reasonable engagement and citizens participation has become a courted virtue in other climes.
“The Caucus calls for the withdrawal of the military from the streets of Lagos and other parts of the country where human rights’ abuses are reported”.
They said government should consider the demand of the agitators which include the suspension of the ill-timed response of renaming FSARS to SWAT.
According to them: “the PDP Caucus agrees that there is need to rejig our abusive implementation of Federalism, calling to mind the need to engender a national conversation by adopting the 2014 National Conference report for consideration by the National Assembly, as well as constitutional amendment to divest power and resources from the centre to States and Local Government Areas.”
