Date: 2020-10-23

The Offa Descendants Union (ODU) in Offa, Kwara State, has advised the indigenes of the town, especially the youths, to desist from acts capable of disrupting public peace.

The union said in a statement on Thursday signed by Mr Maruf Olalekan Ajenifuja, its National Public Relations Officer, on behalf of the National President, Dr Funsho Oladipo, that the advice became necessary in view of the #EndSARS protests across the country.

According to the statement, ODU believes in the right to freedom of speech through peaceful protests, but not otherwise.

It advised all sons and daughters of Offa not only to steer clear of actions that are inimical to national peace, but also to check on one another through phone calls and other platforms about their safety, especially in "hot places" like Lagos and Abuja.

The statement also enjoined all residents in Offa to strive to maintain law and order.

"This call became imperative as peaceful protests are now being hijacked by hoodlums, thereby leading to "collateral damages being recorded as a result of the ongoing #EndSARS protests across the country."

"ODU strongly reiterates its condemnation of violent protests and its associated collateral damage and, hereby, advises all good people of Offa not to participate in such unholy practices.

"The union sincerely commiserates with the family and friends of those who lost their lives and valuable properties as a result of the ongoing #EndSARS protests in Nigeria," it added.