Lai’s Fight With CNN Is ‘Undemocratic Conduct’ – UK MP

By Chuks Ekpeneru

Members of the United Kingdom Parliament on Monday questioned the security collaboration between the UK government and Nigeria.

This came at a sitting when the Parliament discussed the recent attack on the #EndSARS protesters by Nigerian government security operatives.

Nigerian security agencies have been widely condemned over the attacks on the protesters, especially the shooting at Lekki in Lagos.

This led some Nigerians to petition the British government.

At the last count, the petition initiated by  Silas Ojo had garnered over 200,000 signatures.

They demanded sanctions on government officials and security agents such as visa ban, freezing of assets and stopping the funding and training for the Nigeria Police Force.

At the debate on Monday, Theresa Villiers, a member of the British Conservative Party who served as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020, queried the UK Government for training security agents who end up abusing the rights of Nigerian citizens.

Villiers who represent Chipping Barnet constituency said, “I believe the petitioners have a credible case for the imposition of individualised sanctions such as travel bans and asset freezes.”

A Nigerian, Kate Osamor who is the MP for Edmonton also lambasted Nigerian Government and security agencies.

Osamor stated, “The Nigerian government says that it has disbanded SARS but the corruption and brutality of the security forces continues. The Nigerian government’s violence against its own citizens appears only to be intensifying.

“The Nigerian government needs to stop freezing bank accounts of key protesters; it needs to stop illegal detentions of key protesters. The Minister of Information for the Federal Government went on record to state that the CNN reporting of the massacre is fake news. This is undemocratic conduct.”

She queried why the UK government will continue to sell weapons and provide training to SARS personnel despite the fact that Amnesty International and other rights groups had accused the now disbanded unit of extra-judicial killings.

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