At least 100,000 people have unfollowed President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria on Twitter in protest over his handling of the #EndSARS protests in the West African nation.
Youths across Nigeria have taken to the streets to demand the president disband a rogue unit of the police in the country – the Special Anti-Robbery (SARS).
#EndSARS protesters are accusing the police unit, established as defence against armed robbery, of robbing innocent Nigerians as well as brutalising them.
Buhari who reacted to the protest on Friday night when he tweeted a photo from a meeting with the inspector general of police (IGP) and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said he has directed the IGP to address the issues and lead a police reform.
“The IG already has my firm instructions to conclusively address the concerns of Nigerians regarding these excesses, and ensure erring personnel are brought to justice,” Buhari tweeted
“I appeal for patience and calm, even as Nigerians freely exercise their right to peacefully make their views known.”
Unimpressed by the response, Reno Omokri – a former aid to Buhari’s predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, and an unapologetic critic of the present government – had yesterday called on Nigerians to unfollow the official Twitter handle of the President as a sign of protest.
Less than 12 hours later, about 100,000 people had unfollowed the president on the microblogging platform.