Buhari speech fallout: Feminist Coalition asks protesters to go home, render account

• ₦147,855,788.28 donations received; ₦60,403,235.00 disbursed; ₦87,452,553.28 left unspent

CONSEQUENT upon President Buhari’s address yesterday, one of the major financiers of the #EndSARS group has asked its followers and protesters at large to return home, and stay safe from further harm.

The group also asked coordinators of the movement to give a breakdown of money spent in sustaining the protests over the 11 days duration.

In a press release, released today, the group urged the protesters to stay indoors and observe the curfew in their respective states.

It disclosed that it received a total of N147.8 million cash donations in favour of the #EndSARS protests against brutality and extrajudicial killings by men of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force.

In the spirit of accountability, the Feminists Coalition gave accounts of how money that was donated had been spent.

It disclosed: Funds received over the past 14 days is ₦147,855,788.28, including donations in USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, GHS, KES, and BTC), out of which a total of ₦60,403,235.00 had been disbursed, while ₦87,452,553.28 is left unspent.

“The funds were raised through the generosity of well-meaning people and concerned Nigerians who want their voices to be heard and their demands to be met,” said the Feminists Coalition.

Stated the Coalition, “Following the President’s address, we hereby encourage all young Nigerians to stay safe, stay home, and observe the mandated curfew in your state. The Feminist Coalition has decided to henceforth stop all donation inflows for the #EndSARS peaceful protest. The rest of the donations will go towards funding medical emergencies, legal aid for wrongfully detained citizens, and relief for victims of police brutality and families of the deceased.

“The past two weeks have been tough for many Nigerians, most especially the last two days. Many lives have been lost and properties destroyed at the height of what started as peaceful marches for the end to police brutality,” the group stated.

In the statement, the Coalition condoled with every Nigerian family that lost loved ones to the protest, adding that these Nigerians share the same vision for a better country as they do and should be duly recognized as heroes.