Nigerian singer and rapper, Folarin Falana, who performs under the stage name Falz, has reacted to the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry report submitted to the Lagos State government on Monday, saying all the perpetrators indicted must be prosecuted.
Speaking during an interview with Arise News, which was monitored by Newsbreak on Tuesday, Falz said there is no amount of appeal from the government that will bring back lost souls nor fix traumas.
The singer, who is also a lawyer and the son of prominent human rights activist, Femi Falana, commended the panel for not comprising the report.
He said: “Everyone saw the video. It was so disturbing that for a moment , they made us doubt our sanity . It’s embarrassing that a governor made a statement that it did not happen. He said he went there and also the so-called Minister of Information said everything was fake. It is embarrassing.
“I’m glad that the panel has come to this conclusion. They all did a great job.
“I’m surprised that the panel didn’t compromise. The evidence was overwhelming. There was so much evidence and people picked up bullets from the scene. I’m glad that there wasn’t any shady business and they were able to draw recommendations.”
Commenting on the inauguration of the four-man committee by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to come up with a White Paper report, Falz noted he is 100 per cent in support of the process.
He, however, insisted that the newly-constituted committee should not compromise on the already submitted report.
“I am 100 per cent with the governor on the white paper implementation. That should drive the prosecution of every single person that is found guilty. More than everything else of the thing that can be done for justice is prosecution of anyone that’s found guilty. Every single person that killed a soul must be charged for murder. This is a very serious issue here. Lives were lost. Protesters waving the Nigerian flag were shot.
“They shot ambulances that tried to help people and they came on television to tell us nothing happened. I still say it is very embarrassing.
“Apologies would not call back dead souls and fix the traumas. What I would say is that we are expecting the prosecution of every single soul. If you are a soldier or a military man, you should know your job is to protect the citizens then I see no reason why you should shoot directly at people. They were waving the Nigerian flag and they were still shot, I still find it very hard to wrap my head around It,” he said.
Falz has also insisted that in any democratic society, no one can stop protest. He added that Nigerian youths are getting prepared for the general election to vote out the government that allegedly killed and failed the youths.
“In any democratic society, you can t stop protest. They way people express themselves in different ways. The youths will be participating in the forthcoming elections. It is very important because it’s obvious that the government of the day has killed and failed us. In the coming election, I don’t think anyone will go to the polling booth and vote for the same people.
“Now that the governor has set up a four-man committee for the white paper, I just feel this is not the time for the ‘mago mago’, but so far they have done a fantastic job,” he said.
