One Year Post #Endsars: Have We Learnt Any Lesson?

The Insight

By Lateef Adewole

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana

This Wednesday marked a year after the unfortunate incident that climaxed many days of #EndSars protests that rocked the country and shook it to its foundation last year. It was a peaceful protest against police brutality of the citizens, particularly, the Special Anti-Robbery Squard (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). The youths, who have been the major victims of these criminal-minded actions of these security agents for decades, had it to their throat, and said enough was enough! What started like a show of dissatisfaction and peaceful processions ended up brutally and in chaos.

For about twelve days, it was relatively peaceful in many areas across the country, until the night of 20th of October, 2020, despite many sponsored infiltration of armed thugs to attack them in Lagos and Abuja in particular, as seen in many video clips. A day that started routinely as the previous ones, saw it ended in shootings of protesters in the evening at Lekki tollgate by the armed security agents of government, Nigerian military and police.

What happened that night is still a subject of controversy, even after a year. After series of denials and contradictory statements by both the military and Lagos State government, as to whether army was there or not, who invited them, whether they came with live bullets or blank ones, whether they shot or not, whether it was live bullets they shot or not, and whether peaceful protesters at Lekki were killed or not, there were conclusions to many of these, based on revelations at the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry, which was set up to address the concerns of the protesters, possible restitution and compensation of the victims of police brutality, in line with two of the demands by the youths.

The Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, agreed that he invited the military to Lekki in orser to enforce the curfew declared on that day. The military agreed that they came with both live and blank bullets. The military agreed that they shot at protesters but only in the air. The disagreed point was that they killed any person there, contrary to the claims of many youths present at the ground zero, where the shootings actually took place. That night, there was live video streaming of the shootings. So, it will be foolhardy for the military to have denied it entirely.

However, there is yet to be any picture or video evidence of those killed. We saw thise wounded. The protesters claimed that the military took away all the corpses, an allegation that they denied. That remained a conundrum till date.

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I could recall how some of us who watched the live streaming of the shootings believed the protesters, given our experiences. How could such invasion by the military, who were trained to kill, happened, and no single person would have died? That’s almost impossible. However, I conceded to a critic-friend of mine who said that no one was killed, on the condition that we would wait for the evidence as should have been captured by the CCTV footage at the Lekki tollgate.

Alas! When it was time to tender that, the company claimed that the CCTV stopped recording that night, just at the time the shootings took place. This was an equipment that has worked for hours, days, weeks, months and possibly, years before that moment. That’s questionable. That was how we could not get to the root of what truly happened. Who are were we to believe then? Is it Lekki Concession Company (LCC), who was responsible for that, who was also accused and an interested party in the matter? Why should we believe them? How can an accused provide indicting evidence against themselves? Coincidentally, the lights at Lekki tollgate, which provide illumination for the whole area, conveniently went off that same night, while the shootings took place.

These dual actions made me not to believe that nobody was killed in Lekki, even without proof. I have watched many interviews of the victims, including an amputated young man who said he was shot that night. He said he was found still alive among dead bodies, before he was taken to the hospital where his leg was amputated due to the shattering of his bones beyond repairs by the bullet. Who are we supossed to believe? Him or people who were accused of shooting him but who denied the shootings initially? That disagreement will forever remain a sore point between the government and the youths. We might never get closure on it.

It should be acknowledged that as one of the five demands by the youths during that last year’s protest, to set up a judicial panel of enquiry to address many issues relating to police brutality over the years, governments responded by setting up these panels across the states and FCT. Lagos state government should be singled out for commendation, for their commitment to it. In Lagos, about 410.2 million naira had been disbursed in compensation to the victims in 70 cases. The panel wound down on Monday, after hearing 186 of 252 petitions. The public is awaiting their report, which they submitted to Lagos State Government.

Some other states made efforts too while it was a mere jamboree in some others. In all, there are too many victims and cases of police brutality that it will take years to address. This is due to the non-responsiveness of the government to endless complaints and cries from the general public against these nefarious acts for decades, until it boiled over last year and culminated in the EndSars protest.

After that unfortunate incident, have we all learnt anything at all, especially the very police against whom the protest was targeted? Just few days ago, there was a viral video of a police officer who assulted some civilians, a youth and another man. He even threatened to shoot them. This happened in Kogi state. This type of incident have continued to happen since last year. In fact, it seems such act is now being carried out by majority of police units now, contrary to the past where SARS was majorly accused.

I drive around in Lagos and other parts of the country, and we still see how police officers profile young people. Carrying phones, especially iPhones, laptops, driving cars and the likes, by young people, are invitations for truoble from the police. Why should that be? Is it impossible to have young people who are legitimately successful and could afford all these things? Is every youth with semblance of riches criminal? That’s poverty mentality.

While I acknowledge that there are many youths who have soiled their hands and get involved in all manners of criminal activities, it’s the job of the security agencies to fish them out and let the law take its course, not painting all with same brush just for the purpose of extortioning them or taking laws into their own hands.

Again, there was harassment and unlawful arrest of the youths who came out to participate in the memorial of those who were “allegedly” killed last year in Lekki, on Wednesday. I watched live video where the Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, commanded his officers to start shootings tear gas canisters into the crowd of protesting youths at Lekki and ordered that they be arrested. What crime did they commit? Coming out to protest peacefully? The Commissioner has no right to say people cannot protest peacefully. That’s unconstitutional. What then has changed?

Let me make it clear that I will never subscribe to anything violent, whether by the youths, the authority or anybody. That was why I unequivocally condemned the killings of police and military officers during the EndSars protests. The burning of public and private facilities and infrastructures. The looting and destruction of business premises of citizens like them. All these are unacceptable acts. And anyone found guilty of such should be arrested and punished according to the law.

But, what do we say to a situation where it was reported that over 300 youths who were arrested since 2020 in the course of the EndSars protests, are still languishing in jails, without proper arraignment in court of law? That’s part of the human rights abuses that triggered the EndSars protest in the first place. When will the security agents and governments learn and change? Why do people in authority, whether political, civil or in the armed forces, see themselves as above the citizens and the law? They are supposed to be “public servants”. Rather, they see themselves as “public overlords”. Are they more Nigerian than the rest of us? That’s preposterous! This was one of the five demands of the youths during the protest; “that all arrested protesters be released immediately”. But what happened?

Is it not ironic that these same police officers’ welfare was paramount to the youths. One of their demands was; “increase in police salary and adequate compensation for protecting the lives and property of the citizens”. Afterall, police officers are from among the citizens. They are Nigerians and face the same socio-economic challenges as other civil population. They are our parents, brothers and sisters, friends, families, sons and daughters. Why would they now act the way many of them do?

One of the youths’ demands was; “carrying out psychological evaluation of all disbanded SARS operatives before they can be redeployed”. The government responded immediately by disbanding that unit of police but what happened to them thereafter? Where are the SARS officers who caused all that now? They just blended into the general police. There is likelihood that many of them have continued in their unwholesome activities after changing their cloaks, given the behaviour of some officers we still encounter on the roads. They also must have probably rub off on many regular police officers. Many of them exhibit similar tendencies these days. What has changed?

Youths themselves need massive reorientation. Many disagreed with my opinion last week about the need for them to be allowed to rise and take over the leadership of this country. The critics claimed that many youths of today are irresponsible. They are not focused and spend time on inanities. Drug is their thing. Looking for quick money by engaging in internet fraud, money ritual, kidnapping, armed robbery and other crimes, were cited as their pastime, which made them unfit to lead in Nigeria. I do agree to some extent. I wrote about this in the past.

But, should that be a justification for their exclusion? Whatever the youths have become today should be blamed on the generations before them. They failed in their responsibility to train, guide and mentor them in the right path. Have the leaders set good examples themselves? By the way, who are the people arming and using these youths as thugs for their greedy and selfish sociopolitical gains? It is the same older generations who turned around to cast the youths to hell. Why are the same youths excelling outside Nigeria? Many young people are performing wonders around the world. Why? This is a food for thought.

In all, governments should know they exist for the citizens, which youths form the larger part. So, they cannot and should not be ignored. When they make demands, leaders should listen, process and attend to those that are reasonable in them and educate the youths about those they believe are unreasonable, inappropriate or impossible. They should always be carried along. This can only be attained by inclusiveness. The government, police authority, military, political class, and all of us must learn from that unforgettable and regrettable incident, instead of grandstanding. “Doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results is insanity”, according to Albert Einstein. We must change our approaches for the better.

May God continue to protect us and guide us aright.

God Bless Nigeria.

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