NIGERIA is home to a thriving contradiction. Here is a country that celebrates its aspirations to greatness, economic success, food security, accountable governance, territorial integrity, internal security, and improved living standards —sabotaging its young and vibrant population. A pseudo-welfarist democracy, Nigeria’s young vibrant ‘human capital’ — the potentially productive portion of its population — has to contend with gross insufficiencies, maladministration, corruption, and intimidation in state-owned and administered facilities. In public infrastructure — stable electricity, good roads, and clean drinking water — and public institutions — schools, hospitals, government agencies, and the security outfits — lies a deep and spreading rot; an insufficiency, inefficiency, and inconsistency that constantly mocks any such aspiration to lofty heights. Hence it is a reticent euphemism when it is suggested that the odds are stacked high against the Nigerian youth, especially when we add limited employment opportunities to the possibility of being randomly picked-up, harassed, robbed, maimed, or killed by ‘rogue’ agents of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the branch of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) allegedly set up to check the rampant robbery incidents through discrete operations.
The call for the disbandment of SARS by the predominantly young adult protesters and a section of the elderly (some mothers), which is premised on the numerous cases — some captured on film — of SARS brutality; blatant extortions, unlawful searches, detentions, torture, robbery, illegal check and transfer of funds from citizens and murder, is a known recurring phenomenon that started in 2017. The insistence on the total disbandment of that unit of the Nigerian Police, which stems from the failure of several reform enactments and ‘bans,’ to bring an end to the menace of SARS, has given credence to the argument that the problem lies deeper in the conduct of the entire Nigeria Police. The Nigeria Police has one of, if not, the worst track records in public relations of any Nigerian government agency, whether in security or administration. Over the years, it has suffered from prevalent self-imposed abuses — dishonesty, corruption, and Nigerians’ tendency to resort to self-help, which has engendered low public confidence levels in its activities. The history of police illegalities in Nigeria is long, with numerous instances of dark and depraved conduct by its personnel. Widespread amongst these instances of police lawlessness was the extrajudicial killings of the infamous “Apo six” in 2005 and Yusuf Mohammed, the late leader of the terrorist group Boko Haram in 2009, an act which has been credited as one of the immediate causes of the insurgency in the North-East. The results of this thoughtless killing of the Boko Haram leader by the Police live with us today. Millions of families are displaced and thousands have been killed. In the end, the citizens and army had to suffer the consequences of these extrajudicial killings. Also symbolic of these murderous instances is that only two of the six police personnel who carried out these dastardly acts were made to face the full consequences of their actions, which points to another disturbing aspect of policing in Nigeria, the absence of accountability.
The recognition that the depth of the rot in the Nigeria Police transcends any particular operational unit — that there are other extortionists and murderous gangs within the same Police Force — has led a crop of the Nigerian public to demand a complete overhaul of the institution. There is, however, some disparity in demand for a change in Police operations. While those who are distanced from the brutality extol SARS’ ‘virtues’ and relevance and have called for its continued existence, the divide amongst those who bear the brunt of its lawlessness and who also perceive the existential dangers, appear to be more about urgency, utilisation, attainability on the one hand, and effectiveness and sustainability on the other, than it is a disagreement on the need for a change in policing standards. However, a closer look at those who argue for the continuity of SARS goes beyond the set of unaffected persons. For instance, the Arewa Forum is credited with trending #ProSARS on Twitter, the same medium where the #EndSARS struggle had commenced. Based in the northern part of Nigeria, others from this region commenced the trend of #EndBanditryInTheNorth. This goes on to show where the major disparity comes from. The North-South divide suffers different problems, while, of course, there are always the beguiled pro-government apologists who act as foil for any struggle they perceive as anti-government.
The conveners of the ‘END SARS’ movement, in their demand for the immediate scrapping of the police unit, demonstrate the urgency of the situation. Another day with SARS meant the possibility of losing more lives to the recklessness of the rogue outfit. Indeed, some graphics trended, depicting how demonised the rogue unit is. In the image, there exists two routes — right and left. On the right leads to armed robbers’ path, while the left leads to an encounter with SARS, with the driver opting to take the right, resolving to face the robbers than SARS. Alarming! Secondly, the publicity and huge profiles in the entertainment industry involved, the following, and commitment the movement commanded, was utilised to apply optimal pressure on the establishment. And lastly, the expectation was that pushing for the disbandment of a particular unit is more realistic, especially riding on this rare momentum which will not last the period it might take to deliberate on a complete reform, with the Nigerian government’s penchant for getting into commitments it never plans to keep. As a matter of fact, it is true that the government had announced in 2017, 2018, and 2019 that SARS had been banned, disbanded and it spewed out other grammars outlawing their existence. Meanwhile, there are others who do not believe ‘END SARS’ is enough to end this menace.
In the same manner they trend ‘END SARS’, they also trend on the other hand, ‘ENDPOLICEBRUTALAITY’ and ‘POLICE REFORM’. These agitators recognise that to ensure significant and sustainable police conduct changes, the entire Nigeria Police needs to be reformed, hence their call for continued agitation, even after the announcement by the Police inspector general. The logic behind this is not farfetched as, even in the absence of SARS, since February 1970 when Kunle Adepeju was gunned down during a students’ protest at the campus of the University of Ibadan, Police officers using live ammunitions have murdered peaceful protesters across the country in Ogbomoso, Delta, and most recently in Surulere. Unfortunately, the ‘END SARS’ protests, which culminated in that disbandment announcement by the inspector general of Police, is just one outcome of a larger systemic failure. With a culture of glossing over and ‘managing’ situations that otherwise demand urgent redress, Nigeria is ill-prepared for the changing times and their peculiar demands. Even now, it totters on an unknown future, a wounded giant leaking cohesion and unity from its many unattended and unhealed wounds. As the times change, laws also need to be updated and adapted to suit current realities. The Nigerian state has relied on archaic laws and systems that have outlived their usefulness in their present forms and instead have become impediments to its growth processes. That the Police assume the prerogative to detain, try, condemn and administer capital punishment points not only to inadequacies in the Nigerian judicial (justice) system but also to the executive and legislative arms of government, which have failed in their constitutional roles and capacities to equip and support the former in functioning and wielding all its powers more efficiently. If the judicial arm had been able to prosecute offenders in the Force and brought them to justice, there would be no frequent occurrence of police brutality and SARS killings, let alone an ‘END SARS’ movement.
There are tangible reasons to conclude that the days of reckoning are here. The increasing frequency in occasions of near protest is gradually giving way to actual protest actions. The abandoned Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) protest action, the ongoing strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and the END SARS protests are all odours emanating from a decaying and collapsing system. It is the outward expression of the unsuitability and failure of existing administrative structures, a lack of meaningful policies, and the absence of political will and commitment to addressing matters that require urgent attention.
How can we possibly remedy the situation? First and foremost, the state must recognise the importance of the youth in achieving its goals. It is no hidden wisdom that a country which expects socioeconomic yields, in the form of highly innovative products and services (known drivers of rapid development), will have to invest heavily — its resources and will — in creating an enabling environment for its human capital to function at optimum (to thrive). Secondly, all government arms must be attentive to the people’s challenges, while taking proactive steps to enact new laws, refurbish outdated ones, and make policies that would equip the masses to better their prospects and build Nigeria in the process. An example of this outdated law is the Nigerian Public Order Act (2) that outlaws protest, except with permit by the governor of the state or from the IGP in his stead. Not only was this law made in 1906 colonial days and reinforced during the military regime (of Ibrahim Babangida) in 1990, it has been quashed by the judicial ruling of Justice Chinyere in response to Femi Falana’s strong argument in the ANPP & Ors. V. IGP (2006) CHR 181. In this ruling, it was affirmed that the provision of the public order act violates sections 39 and 40 of the Nigerian Constitution and Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to peaceful assembly. Not only did the Nigeria Police lose at the High Court, but by unanimous decision of the Appeal Court, it lost again. However, till today, this outdated Act is often used as an excuse by the Nigeria Police to unleash terror on peaceful protesters, thereby violating their human rights as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria.
Thirdly, accountability must be paramount in all government activities, in all its arms and agencies, critical amongst which are law enforcement officials, who must also be seen to abide by the rules and face penalties for abuses. In the absence of the supremacy of the rule of law, anarchy is the destination. With these in place, in whatever capacities or units, public officials serve, we can be reassured of professionalism and the other trappings of a working system. Also, and in pursuance to the second recommendation, protest is a right of the people backed by the constitution. The same constitution established the Nigeria Police and commanded them to protect the lives and properties of citizens, not vandalise it or take it willfully. The use of live ammunitions should be completely outlawed during peaceful protests. Better ways of ensuring peace should be devised. As always, this protest has shown that the extrajudicial killings of protesters irk them more. And if care is not taken, they will turn unruly, retaliate, and anarchy will reign supreme.
On the menace of SARS, the government needs to identify with the masses and meet their five demands; simple and concise. Also, the government should not redistribute them into the Nigeria Police. A Mercedes does not become a Lamborghini just by changing colours. They should all be fairly tried. The guilty ones should be brought to book, the innocent ones (I pray you find) should be kept in the Force and not returned to the streets jobless. In addition, members of the NPF caught guilty of taken innocent lives should be brought to face the full whims of the law. Until these are done, it will be very difficult for citizens to trust the government and believe their resolve to end this menace. Citizens no longer trust the government; it is time, therefore, to win back their trust, if not for anything, for peace and stability. This is the least any government, responsible or irresponsible, should strive to achieve.
- Oladeji writes in from Lagos.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has told a Federal High Court in Abuja, that the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) was sacked to solve the internal leadership crises rocking the party. The party also said that immediately the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee was put in place after the NWC’s dissolution, the crises that had characterised its affairs were laid to rest…
The Emir of Zazzau, in Kaduna State, Alhaji Shehu Idris has died in his palace at the age of 84. His son, Aminu Shehu Idris, confirmed in an interview with the Tribune Online that his late father who was appointed on 15th February, 1975 and spent 45 years in the throne died on Sunday after a protracted illness…
Post COVID-19: Kano based industrialist tasks FG on economy
A Kano based industrialist, Chief Kalu Ogbonnaya, has advised the Federal Government to take necessary steps to stimulate the nation’s economy to prevent a recession post COVID-19…