By S. Long Williams Esq
The Nigeria social, political, economic and security environment has been volatile in the past weeks. This is consequent to the virile, boisterous and focused protest by a large percentage of Nigerian Youths calling for a halt to Police brutality, extortion, intimidation and murder especially by officers of the unit of the Special Anti- Robbery Squad, SARS and the post violence that erupted consequent to the Lekki Toll Gate Massacre by the Nigerian Army.
The #endsars protest which is a decentralized social movement with no clear cut leadership but well coordinated, focused and dedicated commenced in principle in 2017 but metamorphosed into a full blown street protest on 12th October, 2020 cutting across so many states including the commercial cities of Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja the nation’s capital.
The protest called for an end to the Special Anti- Robbery Squad Police Unit and it also focused on other areas of concern in the polity by the youths including bad governance.
So soon after the commencement of the protest, the Federal Government through the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu disbanded the unit and in its place created another unit named Specialized Weapons And Tactics Team, SWAT. This further fueled the protest as the protesters got infuriated that while the atrocities committed by the SARS team were yet to be addressed, the government in its usual insensitivity has gone further to set up another tactical team that will further intimidate and brutalize the people.
To the weird consternation of the general populace and the international community, the government on 20th October, 2020 unleashed the Nigerian Army on the protesters camped at the Lekki Toll Plaza, Lagos shooting indiscriminately, killing and maiming some. This action by the government sparked a violent reaction by some angry Nigerians which to led to various acts of arson, vandalization, looting, stealing , murder and maiming almost in every part of the country.
It must be noted that what has become the general trend all over is that some of these acts of vandalization, looting, stealing and total lawlessness are taking place under the nose and watchful eyes of men of the security services especially the Nigerian Police Force.
Inspite of the directives of the Inspector General of Police to all commands to take charge of their various command space, the opposite has been the case. The field commanders have refused to heed to the directive. In most states, Police Officers are almost non existent. Road traffic controls have been abandoned, road blocks unmanned and Police Officers ensconced in the inner recesses of their stations and barracks which are barricaded by all manner of crude defence mechanism. The Police are off the streets and we are left in the lurch. The Nigerian Police are technically on strike.
The reason for the absence of the Police on the streets are not far fetched. So soon after the military invaded the camped protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, as stated earlier, a violent outcome erupted which led to the looting and burning of several Police Stations and the coldblooded murder of some Policemen. This action is regrettable and condemnable. The demands of the #endsars protesters were clear, precise and unequivocal, it was not against the Nigerian Police Force as a whole, it was against the SARS as a unit of the Nigerian Police Force. Any action targeted against the Nigerian Police Force was not from the youths involved in the #endsars protest but by criminals, brigands and terrorist elements in our midst.
I call on men of the Nigerian Police Force to heed the directive cum order of the Inspector General of Police to resume their beat immediately. Anything short of that will lead to a breakdown of law & order and ultimately anarchy. We cannot go back to the Hobbesian state of nature. The Police should learn to accept both compliments and criticism as it takes both sun and rain for the flower to grow and flourish.
Written by S. Long Williams Esq. Governor, EBF
