Somtochukwu

An attempt by state governors and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to stop the #EndSARS protests met a brick wall on Monday as protesters insisted that they would continue.

Activist, Aisha Yesufu, said this in a series of tweets while responding to reports that she and other protesters met with the business community.

While admitting that she had a Zoom meeting with the business leaders, Yesufu said she told them that they should speak with the President instead.

Yesufu said she was lured into the meeting, adding that she would not have attended it in the first place if she knew the agenda.

The activist added, “A brother called me and said would I join a meeting on the #EndSARS issue? I just said yes expecting to enter a meeting with the protesters from different states only for me to see others. Really?

“I feel so angry that they dared to invite me into that foolish discussion in the first place. How can you – business leaders – only always think about yourselves? You want the protests to end? Then do the right thing that real business leaders do in other countries. Openly tell the President that he has failed the young protesters on the street.

“I told them it is the President and the police that are the problems and not the Nigerian young people fed up with selfish leaders. It is not the protesters that are perpetrators; it is the police and government that are perpetrators.”

Yesufu said the strategy adopted by the protesters such as not having a leader maintained the integrity of the movement.

The activist said God forbids that she meets with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to negotiate the #EndSARS protests.

The activist stated, “I said why they are speaking to us. They should go speak to the President. It is the police and government that have bad elements, not the protesters. God forbids I have a meeting with the President. For what?”

Yesufu, who is a Co-Convener of the Bring Back Our Girls group, also denied reports that Red Media Chief Executive, Adebola Williams, agreed to compromise the protests.

She added, “He together with the rest of us insisted the protest must go on. Even when Emefiele said he would arrange for us to meet with the President, Adebola Williams told him the President has lost credibility with young people.”

Youths in several parts of the country have been protesting against police brutality since last Thursday.

They called for the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force which had been accused of extrajudicial killings.

Despite the scrapping of the unit, however, the protests have continued.

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