Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan urged the federal government to exercise restraint in handling the nationwide protests, which saw Nigerian abroad join the protest against police brutality and bad governance, coined #EndSARS.

The protests were sparked by continued extrajudicial killings and other illegal activities the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The former President who roundly condemned the “use of deadly force” on #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos State by soldiers on Tuesday night, urged security authorities in the country to avoid such measures in dealing with fellow Nigerians.

Comforting those who lost their loved ones during the protests, which was later hijacked by the hoodlums, the former President noted that the development “has been a difficult time for me as well.”

He also urged aggrieved Nigerians to sheath their sword, embrace peace, and give a chance to the efforts being made in some states to investigate cases of impunity against security personnel.

He expressed that nation-building is a collective task and urged everyone to continue to have faith in Nigeria and to be circumspect in their actions and peaceful in their engagements.

President Muhammadu Buhari addressed the citizens in a countrywide broadcast, appealing for calm and insisting that the government will not fold its hands and watch criminal elements threaten the peace of the country.