The presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, has said his government will apologise to all victims of police brutality, if elected in the highly anticipated February 25 poll.
“We will apologise to all those who are victims of police brutality,” Obi told his teeming supporters on Saturday during his campaign rally in Lagos State held at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Onikan.
“All those who have suffered in the hands of government, we will apologise to them. We will make sure that it never happens again. Nigeria will be a peaceful country.”
According to him, the country’s security agents will “no longer” be used for harassment.
“Police will not harass anybody; they will be your care because we’re going to train those (sic) on how to do policing,” he promised.
Obi added that the law enforcement agencies would be equipped and more trained personnel recruited, saying, “The police will be a friend, not an enemy. They will do the work of policing. We will not have all these problems we have.”
The 61-year-old candidate vowed to ensure the supremacy of law and order, while the country’s security and unity would be paramount.
He also assured voters of a free press that would be allowed to “criticise what we’re doing.”
Obi’s promise comes barely two years after the October 2020 protests that garnered international attention. The call to action tagged #EndSARS saw thousands of Nigerians across the country demanding extensive police reforms.
The LP candidate derided the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for its management of the economy, saying millions of Nigerians had fallen below the poverty line since the party first commenced governance in 2015.
He accused the current government of producing poverty, joblessness, university lecturers’ strikes, and “one form of suffering or the other.”
Obi promised to increase the nation’s reserves through agriculture and stability of the currency.
“No Nigerian will be ethnocentric but a Nigerian We want Nigerians to celebrate their passport,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor said if elected, his administration would work hard to secure people from poverty, moving Nigeria from consumption to production.
“Lagos will remain the centre of excellence and finance,” he said. “Nigeria has all the endowment to be a great country.”
According to him, under an Obi administration, there will be an enabling environment for business and “our gas will be developed to give more money than oil.”
He added that his government would will support the youth for enterprise, saying, “Our achievement will be measurable.”
