The #EndSARS protests, which started gradually on October 7, gathered momentum last week and have elicited positive reactions from the federal government. However, many requests from the protesters and the resulting anarchy call for concern; PAUL OKAH reports.
Years of extra-judicial killings, torture, extortions, maltreatments and other negative encounters by law enforcement agencies, especially the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), forced Nigerians to unite in protests them. The protests, which started in Lagos state, spread to other states across the country in a matter of days.
The demands
The protesters tabled five demands for the federal government to consider, including the scrapping of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), reforming of the police force, release of people unjustly detained by SARS, compensation over SARS’ brutality, among others. On Sunday, October 11, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, dissolved SARS across the 36 state police commands and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Interestingly, within a few hours after the IGP action, the police chief announced that a new police unit, the Special Weapon and Tactical (SWAT), had been created to replace the SARS and that officers would undergo critical assessment before recruitment.
Further demands
However, the scrapping of SARS and immediate replacement with SWAT did not go down with the protesters as they re-doubled and made more daring demands from government from October 12.
In fact, in an unsigned post circulated on social media, with the caption “list of what Nigerian youths want federal government to do before they can call of their protest,” the protesters further charged federal and state governments.
It read in part: “We demand sack of security chiefs, improvement in security, full deregulation oil and gas sector to allow more investments for job creation, immediate passage of Petroleum Industry Bill, full deregulation of power sector to allow investment capital flow to generate, create jobs, government should hands off petroleum pricing to enable free market determination of pricing, close northern borders to stop free entry of Fulani herdsmen and bandits, inclusive government for all tribes and regions of Nigeria with 50% youths in charge of governance.
“We demand for government to allocate more funds to education sector to provide better teaching tools and to pay better salaries to end ASUU strikes, change of academic curriculum to reflect modern day realities, that all politicians should be placed on minimum wage to attract genuine public servants, migration to 100% electoral reforms with electronic voting tied to our BVN and GSM, return Nigeria to regional governance structure or restructure the country and embrace true federalism, while states autonomy must be paramount.
“We demand disbanding of the bi-cameral legislature and adopting unicameral legislature, immediately reform Nigeria Police Force for every state or region to create its own police service, no more budget for running private affairs of elected and appointed public servants, enthroning university education as minimum qualification for public office holders at all levels of government from president to local government and ward chairpersons, stripping ex-governors and all elected and appointed public servants of all benefits after office, increase in salaries of doctors, nurses, teachers, police, military officers, and civil servants, government to hands off ownership and management of businesses at all levels and also to name and shame looters and make criminal offenders.”
Judiciary reforms
Speaking with this reporter, a civil servant, Peter Adekunle, said some of the demands by the protesters may be difficult if not impossible to meet, but that a reform of the nation’s justice system will achieve a lot.
He said: “I am certain that government will not consider let alone implement half of the demands of the protesters. Many of the demands are simply ridiculous if subjected to critical analysis, so they are just making a lot of noise in the name of protests on the streets and social media.
“Ironically, some boys were reportedly caught trying to steal phones at the Lekki protest last week. They were beaten up by the protesters (the same protesters calling for end to police brutality) before they were handed over to the police. You see, there’s a little bit of SARS in all of us. It is simple; we have all lost faith in the justice system. People no longer believe they will get justice when they go through the system. We need to reform our justice system. This was exactly where policemen started before they went rogue and turned on innocent folks.
The hijack by hhoodlums
Sadly, just a few days after Nigerians started bracing up to the protests and the realisation that the federal government is doing its best to implement some of the protesters’ requests, hoodlums hijacked the once peaceful protests. In fact, on Monday, October 19, two prisons in Edo state were allegedly opened by the protesters for over 2,000 inmates to escape, leading to the declaration of curfew by Governor Godwin Obaseki, just as hoodlums set fire to cars in Abuja and attacking public facilities in different parts of the country.
Also, the activities of hoodlums led to Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to declare curfew in the state on Tuesday, October 20, after police stations were burnt down, with soldiers allegedly killing more than 27 of the protesters. Abia, Ekiti, Ondo, Plateau and other states also declared curfews, with more than 50 deaths recorded nationwide as of the time of filing in this report.
Nevertheless, in a statement on Tuesday, the Nigeria Police Force spokesman, Frank Mba, disclosed that the IGP had ordered the deployment of riot policemen nationwide to protect lives and property. The IGP in his directive ordered the commissioners of police in the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT to identify and isolate law-breakers from peaceful protesters, and immediately arrest and diligently prosecute such perpetrators of violence in their respective commands.
FG’s reaction
On Tuesday, October 20, during briefings in Abuja by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and Aviation, Hadi Sirika, respectively, the federal government told members of the Diplomatic Community in Nigeria that it was committed to meeting the demands of Nigerians over police brutality and would not allow those with ulterior motive to hijack the movement.
Onyeama said President Muhammadu Buhari listened to the concerns of Nigerians from the onset of the protest by immediately disbanding the SARS and directed the immediate reform of the police.
“Mr. President listened and took very seriously the demands of the movement and directed response by the government. On 11th October, 2020, the Inspector General of Police dissolved SARS across the 36 State Police Commands and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“On October 12, President Buhari addressed the nation, stating that the disbanding of SARS is only the first step in our commitment to extensive police reforms in order to ensure that the primary duty of the police and other law enforcement agencies remains the protection of lives and livelihoods of our people.
“On October 13, 2020, the presidential panel on the reform of SARS accepted the five-point demand of the #EndSARS protesters. On October 15, 2020, the National Economic Council (NEC) directed the immediate establishment of State-based Judicial Panels of Inquiry across the country to receive and investigate complaints of police brutality or related extra-judicial killings,” Onyeama said.
On his part, Lai said some people who were not part of the original movement were using the movement to ask for unreasonable demands, and have moved from #EndSARS to #EndBuhari. The information minister said what bothered the government was that after the five demands had been comprehensively met, the protests, rather than abate, have been getting stronger. He lamented that the protesters started with five demands, but came forward with more demands, even as he said with every demand on the government that is made, the goal post is shifted.
He said: “The government noticed very soon that some people with ulterior motives were exploiting a very innocent and just protest to destabilise the polity. The movement started very peacefully, but very soon, we witnessed looting, assassination attempt on the governor of Osun state, and burning and looting of malls. In Benin, they freed 2,000 inmates; in Lagos they set ablaze police stations and both the governments of Edo and Lagos have been compelled to impose curfews.”
