President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is calling for calm and the use of dialogue in resolving the ongoing violence and protest in Nigeria.

The Ghanaian President said he has spoken to his Nigerian counterpart, President Muhammadu Buhari, who has shown commitment to using dialogue to end the violence.

After incessant pressure from Ghanaians on social media, Nana Akufo-Addo, in a Facebook post, also expressed his condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives.  

His post read: “I join all well-meaning persons in calling for calm, and the use of dialogue in resolving the #EndSARS impasse in Nigeria. I have spoken with President Buhari, who is committed to this end, and has begun the processes that will lead to reform. Violence, be it on the part of the Police or protesters, cannot be the solution. To the families who have lost their loved ones, I express my sincere condolences, and I wish the injured a speedy recovery.”

On Tuesday night, 20 October 2020, the Nigerian military opened fire on protesters in Lagos.

This followed two weeks of protests against police brutality.

Social media users have been sharing videos of gunshots ringing at the protest site long into the night.

In Ghana, a group of Nigerian youth converged on the Nigerian High Commission in Accra on Wednesday, 21 October 2020 to protest and solidarise with victims of the ongoing police and military brutalities in their home country.

The angry Nigerians are demanding an apology from their leaders and called for the resignation of President Mahammadu Buhari.

The demonstrators expressed pain regarding the happenings in Nigeria.

They described President Buhari as someone who “has completely failed them”.

However, the Ghana police said they could not stage the protest because they had not informed the law enforcement body in accordance with Ghana’s Public Order Act.