#EndSARS protest and its unintended consequences

 

Rebellion cannot take place without a feeling that somehow, in some ways, you’re justified

 – Albert Camus.

The last time Nigeria witnessed the kind of volcanic uprising currently going on around the country was in 1993 after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election which Bashorun MKO Abiola won. Pronto was the formation of National Democratic Coalition better known as NADECO. Many of the South-West states were grounded by protests from the pro-democracy groups. At that time, labour unions weighed in. I recalled that there were workers strike with NUPENG, PENGASSAN, NARTO playing pivotal roles as there was no lifting of crude oil and refined petroleum products thereby forcing people to trek long distances.

As an undergraduate of the University of Lagos then, I joined in the protest around the Yaba area before all schools were shut and we were dislodged from our hostels on campus. During the June 12 protests, you would think Armageddon had come as all socio-economic activities were grounded. There was no money, no food, people couldn’t get kerosene to cook and had to resort to sawdust, charcoal, and firewood. In the course of the protests, many lives were lost as the military rolled out armoured personnel carriers and unleashed soldiers to drive protesters off the street. In the course of the uprising  many non-governmental organisations were birthed. Some of them include the Campaign for Democracy, Civil Liberties Organisations and Committee for the Defence of Human Rights. Some pro-democracy newspapers and magazines such as The PUNCH, The Guardian, Newswatch, TELL and TheNews were also proscribed.

NADECO established the Radio Kudirat named after the assassinated wife of Abiola. Some of the pro-democracy activists were murdered, hounded into exile or arrested and jailed. The nullification of that presidential election and subsequent human rights abuses led to the suspension of Nigeria from the Commonwealth, sanctions from the United Nations and closure of the Canadian embassy in Nigeria making prospective travellers to Canada to have to go to Ghana for visa.   The protests of 1993 led to the stepping aside of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida as Head of State on August 27, 1993 and the inauguration of Chief Ernest Shonekan as Head of Interim National Government. A Nigerian High Court later ruled that the interim government was unknown to the Nigerian constitution and was therefore illegal. This paved the way for Gen. Sani Abacha to take over from Shonekan.

Twenty seven years after, we have on our hands the #EndSARS protests which started about a fortnight ago. This uprising which initially took off on social media, especially on Twitter has led to massive street protests in many states in Nigeria.  They are led by Nigerian youths who are demanding a definitive end to atrocities of the Nigeria Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad. The arrowheads and masterminds of the protest which has received global acclaim  were initially demanding the disbandment of SARS, release of all arrested protesters, compensation for the victims of police brutality, accountability in police operations and punishment for erring SARS officers alongside psychological and medical evaluation for all the SARS operatives. All of these, the Federal Government has claimed to have acceded to. But the youths are not satisfied. They condemn the quick formation of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team established to replace the proscribed SARS. Not even the assurances of the Inspector General of Police that none of the SARS members will be part of SWAT could placate the raging youths who have blocked major highways and marched around the streets with placards.

In furtherance of their demand for an end to police brutality and wider police reforms, the youths last Sunday, October 18, 2020 launched an online radio codenamed ‘Soro Soke’ which in Yoruba means speak loud. The protests have drawn a lot of sympathy from the larger Nigerian public with many of them donating to the protesting groups. Feminist Coalition, a not-for-profit organisation and one of the leading supporters of the #EndSARS campaign, said the group received donation of N77m in one week!

In a bid to get the youths to cease fire and get off the streets, federal and state governments have embarked on a raft of actions. After the National Economic Council meeting of last week, some states such as Lagos, Edo, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Delta  and others have empanelled judicial commission of enquiry into the atrocities of SARS and report back to the governors in six months; the governors are also setting up Victim Support Fund to compensate victims of police brutality and extrajudicial killings. Some of these committees have student and youth representatives.

Furthermore, the boss of Police Equipment Trust Fund, ex-IGP Suleiman Abba, has called for a five-year Strategic Plan of the Nigeria Police. Just last Monday, October 19, the Presidential Investigative Panel on SARS investigating rights abuses and other inhuman treatments by men of the now-disbanded police unit submitted its report to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. The committee headed by the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu, recommended the dismissal of 35 of the police personnel who served in the unit for engaging in various forms of misconduct, including extrajudicial killings. It also recommended 33 for prosecution, 23 for reduction in ranks and two to be arrested and prosecuted. The panel recommended 26 cases for further investigation by the police, 57 in which victims are to be compensated and two cases in which pending court orders are to be obeyed by the police. It recommended public apology over 32 cases, to be published in newspapers and other means.

Will all these measures placate the #EndSARS protesters and get them off the streets, time will tell. However, a worrying development which I term an unintended consequence is now surfacing. Over the weekend, two governors, Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State and Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State were attacked by some hoodlums while trying to address #EndSARS protesters. Last Monday, two jailbreaks took place in Edo State which was caused by some protesters under the guise of #EndSARS movement. These undesirable elements forcefully released unspecified number of prisoners in two of the correctional facilities in the State. Also in Abuja, there was a report of a car stand set ablaze at the Apo Area of the FCT. There have also been several reports of attacks on the peaceful protesters by unidentified thugs. A number of lives have also been regrettably lost while some police stations have been torched by irate youths.

In addition, websites of some government ministries, agencies and departments as well as that of a popular cable television have been reportedly hacked.

The palpable fear now is that the #EndSARS movement has been hijacked by fifth columnists and that if care is not taken, the situation may degenerate into anarchy. Already, Edo and Lagos state government have had to impose 24-hour curfew as there was a breakdown of law and order in the two states. It is for these reasons that I joined other well-meaning Nigerians to call for a ceasefire from the #EndSARS protesters. They have made their point and government has responded in kind. Things should not be allowed to escalate in order to avoid a collateral damage. The more reason these street protests should end now is because of the possibility of a spike in the number of cases of COVID-19 cases as many of the demonstrators are not observing safety protocols such as wearing of facemasks, use of sanitisers and maintenance of social distancing. The economy has also taken a hit as many workers could not go to work while many economic activities have been paralysed.

On the part of government at both the federal and state levels, they should ensure full commitment to seeing through the police reforms already initiated and not renege on the promises made to the protesting youths. It should be clear to government now that youths have a great deal of organisational skills and should no longer be taken for granted. Ultimately, what can bring an end to all the restiveness and agitations in Nigeria is good governance.  To this end, the earlier the country is restructured to achieve that, the better.