President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated that the choice to demonstrate peacefully is a fundamental right of citizens as enshrined in Section 40 of our Constitution.

Buhari in his less-than 15-minute long address on Thursday, noted, “as a democratic government, we listened to, and carefully evaluated the five-point demands of the protesters. And, having accepted them, we immediately scrapped SARS, and put measures in place to address the other demands of our youth”.

“The right to protest also imposes on the demonstrators the responsibility to respect the rights of other citizens, and the necessity to operate within the law”.

“On approving the termination of SARS, I already made it clear that it was in line with our commitment to the implementation of extensive Police reforms”.

“Sadly, the promptness with which we have acted seemed to have been misconstrued as a sign of weakness and twisted by some for their selfish unpatriotic interests”.

“The result of this is clear to all observers: human lives have been lost; acts of sexual violence have been reported; two major correctional facilities were attacked and convicts freed; public and private properties completely destroyed or vandalised; the sanctity of the Palace of a Peace Maker, the Oba of Lagos has been violated. So-called protesters have invaded an International Airport and in the process disrupted the travel plans of fellow Nigerians and our visitors”.

He assured the protesters that their voices have been heard ‘loud and clear’ and urged them to discontinue their demonstrations, saying ‘we are responding’.

“No Nigerian Government in the past has methodically and seriously approached poverty-alleviation like we have done,” the President said.

Over the past few days, the world has watched what started off as peaceful demonstrations, degenerate into violence that has seen properties destroyed, businesses grounded and several persons killed.

“All these executed in the name of the #EndSARS protests,” the President said, adding, “I am indeed deeply pained that innocent lives have been lost”.

The nearly three-week-long unrest in the country has also drawn the attention of the international community, with many such as the UN, ECOWAS and Amnesty International, calling for investigations into the brutality.

While the president acknowledged their concerns, he urged them to get all their facts right before making any “hasty pronouncements”.

Many Nigerians have however been enraged by the President’s address and have taken to social media to express their disappointment over his handling of the situation.