OCTOBER 20, 2020 is a date that will be forever entrenched in the national pages of this great nation. The #EndSARS campaign may have come and gone, but we cannot deny that it is an event which will continue to linger in the minds of the majority. The #EndSARS campaign started with the publication of a petition by the convener, Segun Awosanya. It was signed by 10,195 Nigerians and submitted to the Nigerian National Assembly to scrap the police unit. The Twitter campaign started on December 2, 2017, when a footage of police officers attached to the unit who shot and killed a man surfaced online. The campaign became a trending topic on Twitter with over 400,000 tweets within 12 hours. In October 2020, Nigerians turned the online campaign into a protest. They detailed their horrible and harrowing experiences with SARS, the dreaded unit of the police created to fight banditry. Before the campaign, there had been cases of police brutality all over the country. However, it was during the campaign that the damage caused by such brutality was discovered. While we must salute the conscious efforts of the honest Nigerian youth who sought to make a change for the good of all, and we must also agree that it is the constitutional right of citizens to have a peaceful rally or gathering. However, we must bear in mind that history has taught us that many of these movements always morph into a rowdy affair and become disruptive, leading to sad narratives.
Nigerian youth are organising a memorial protest in honor of those that lost their lives at the Lekki toll gate shooting in 2020. Based on this development, it is important that we take a critical look back at the incident, consider its implications as well as the aftermath. What began as a peaceful protest was eventually hijacked by hoodlums and this led to the loss of lives and wanton destruction, despite the presence of security agents and the imposition of a curfew in the state. The hoodlums carried out their actions unchecked. Many buildings were burnt, with properties destroyed and looted. According to the Lagos police spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, about 17 police stations were burnt by hoodlums in the state. These stations include Idimu, Igando, Layeni, Denton, Ilenbe Hausa, Ajah, Amukoko, Ilasa, Cele Outpost under Ijesha, disbanded SARS office under Ajegunle, Ebute-Ero, Mushin (Olosan), Ojo, Ajegunle, Ikotun, and Ojodu. Properties found within the premises of the police stations, including vehicles, were also destroyed, while valuables, including weapons, were carted away by the criminal elements. The oldest court in Nigeria, the Federal High Court at Igbosere, Lagos was razed down by hoodlums. Many case files were burnt in the fire, while others were carted away. Valuables, including desktop computers, air conditioners, refrigerators, chairs and others were also carted away by the hoodlums.
Also, the palace of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, was also attacked during the violence. The governor’s family house was also burnt down while the headquarters of Television Continental [TVC] was also burnt to the ground. The hoodlums extended their attacks to the Lagos State bus terminals at Oyingbo, Yaba and Berger. Several buses at the Oyingbo terminus were set ablaze, while some parts of Yaba and Berger bus terminals were torched by the criminals. Mutiu Yekeen, who is the Head of Corporate Communications, Primero Transport Services (PTS) Ltd, owners of BRT Buses, said the company lost over N100 million in six days resulting from the protest, which has had the nation’s economic capital ravaged, while the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI, 2020) disclosed that Nigeria lost more than N700 billion in economic value since the #EndSARS protests started. The economic loss suffered by Lagos State and Nigeria at large cannot be fully quantified, and we cannot afford to have a similar experience again. The nation is at a critical time of rebuilding and we need to collectively protect and preserve our asserts. The Executive Governor of Lagos State must be commended for the proactive steps taken by him to address the situation, restoring normalcy and rebuilding the state’s economy.
The Lagos State government, recently through the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry, awarded the total sum of N91 million as compensation to 16 petitioners for the brutality, harassment, extortion and extra-judicial killings of their loved ones by police officers. It will also be recalled that the panel had previously awarded a total of N171 million as compensation to 31 petitioners. This is a visible trait of a governor who will never allow any setback discourage him from fulfilling his mandate. Even as the youth celebrate a memorial in honour of those who lost their lives during the struggle, history has shown to us that even the most honest and pure of intentions can be hijacked by unscrupulous elements. The #EndSARS protest started as a genuine and progressive movement, but it was soiled by hoodlums. The youth need to tread with caution so that no death is recorded again. Lives are irreplaceable and they must by all means ensure that they guard themselves and their activities against any and every factor that may militate against peace in our society. Nigeria is ours, and in our drive to push for a better narrative, we must be careful so that we do not fall into a trap.
- Adeniyi writes in via princfemmy2001@gmail.com
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