45-year-old New NANS President, Asefon, Kicks Against #EndSARS Protest

The newly-elected President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Sunday Asefon, has condemned the #EndSARS movement, aimed at ending police brutality across the country.

Asefon, 45, said the #EndSARS protest would not solve the problem of police brutality because the Inspector-General of Police had dissolved the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit.

In October, youths across the country took to the streets to condemn human rights abuses by members of SARS.

The protest was later hijacked by hoodlums which led to the loss of lives and property.

This followed the killing of an unconfirmed number of youths by men of the Nigerian Army who invaded the Lekki Toll Plaza in Lagos and shot some of the protesters.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the new NANS President said the association does not recognise the #EndSARS movement because it does not have a leader.

“Any protest that is faceless, NANS under my watch will not be a party to it,” he said.

Asefon said leaders of the association would be meeting the Nigerian government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) towards ending the eight-month-old strike by university lecturers.

He said he would be consulting with the representatives of the two feuding parties to find common ground to end the prolonged strike.

“I am convinced that this high-level consultation will yield a positive result, and we will not have to resort to mobilising students to mount any protest to this ridiculous long stay at home.

“NANS, under my watch, will not be complicit to such an unending strike and never again will Nigerian students have to stay home this long,” he said in a statement obtained by Saharareporters.