We are all SARS

Nigeria is a country of many wonders. The more you look at how things are being done the less you understand. Writing on the Nigerian issues is very tedious, interesting and sometimes very annoying. This is because the country is changing like a chameleon. The more one tries to analyse or understand a particular issue, the more he or she will become confused, worse than even what he or she intended to see.

The EndSARs protest has been trending globally which gained a favourite image from the international community, many of the big actors even wrote letters calling the Nigerian Government to quickly address the concern of the young people in respect to the police brutality. The demand of the country’s young people is unarguably true, since we are said to be practicing democracy that allows the citizens to voice out their opinion through demonstrations on anything that affects their freedom or right.

However, the protest was hijacked by some unpatriotic elements in the country that are more rude and troublesome than the SARS. They vandalised public places including hospitals, police stations and places that provide important services to the general public all in the name of ending police brutality. Are the protesters more than the SARs? People deliberately create fake news with images and deep fake videos misinforming and instilling fears in the mind of the public through the social media platforms and even some conventional media organisations have become agents of sabotage spreading false news.

This situation gave some hoodlums the chance to attack government and individual stores and looted valuable items worth millions of naira, damaging properties and even attacking some other ethnic groups in some parts of the country all in the name of ending bad governance and police brutality. This madness shows we are all SARs!

Why would somebody go beyond the boundaries of logic and just take to the level of vandalism, arson and destruction all in the name of ending police brutality and bad governance, this will take Nigeria backward especially now the country is coming out from the coronavirus pandemic. We damage our images before the international community; no serious nation will openly welcome Nigerians without any fear or suspicion of our indiscipline and poor character. This will one day haunt us.

The end of SARS protest has come and gone with bitter lessons. Through the protest, the youths who want to take over leadership from the older generation have prove to lack discipline and patriotism. The over one week protests staged across the country indicated we are not different from the notorious defunct SARS. One can conclude that with the ignorance and madness displayed by youths during the protests and the hoarding of palliatives meant for the downtrodden by some state governors, Nigerians are worse than the disbanded SARS.

Idris Mohammed,

Katsina State

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