AY: It’s inappropriate to blame celebrities for death of #EndSARS protesters

Ayo Makun, a Nigerian stand-up comedian better known as AY, has condemned those blaming celebrities over the lives lost during the #EndSARS protest.

Last Tuesday, the protest against police brutality, which opposed the now-disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS), turned bloody after men in army uniform opened fire on citizens in Lekki, Lagos.

Reacting to the controversy that has trailed the tragic development on Monday, Makun said that passing the blame card to celebrities who had declared solidarity to the movement is inappropriate to those who lost their lives for the cause.

“When we were yet to tweet about #EndSARS, it started with ‘please add your voices’. When we did, they said, ‘get off your tweeting fingers and join the protest on the street’,” the comedian wrote in an Instagram post.

“When we also did and lost some of our youths in the struggle, they are now asking, ‘How come no celebrity was reported dead too?’

“Passing the blame card to any celebrity is an inappropriate response to the death of our fellow compatriots in the struggle for a better Nigeria.

“Even as we mourn our brothers and sisters, let’s maintain a proper focus on our set goals, and be less concerned about any form of orchestrated distractions.

“Let’s quit discouraging everyone who joined us all in making our voices heard, no matter how low. Your liking or disliking any celebrity doesn’t count as much as we respect ourselves as human beings.

“Let’s not make our solutions to the problem be as bad as the problem itself. We shall all be alive to witness that NEW NIGERIA of our dreams soonest.”

Following the shootings in Lekki, serial looting of businesses, destruction of government properties, and burning of police stations had ensued, causing state governments to declare curfews of varying durations to restore normalcy.