The question to ask here is why the government is quick to mobilise and deploy fierce-looking, stone-cold, heavily armed security forces against unarmed and peaceful protesters while the same government is almost always found wanting when it comes to providing adequate security and protection for the lives and property of many Nigerians who are at the mercy of rampaging armed non-state actors.
Only a few days in Nigeria’s history hold the kind of significance and value that October 20, 2020, has for many Nigerians, especially those in the southern part of the country. It is a watershed moment for many in a nation strained by socio-economic uncertainty and political distrust. The traumatic events of that day are now etched in the memory of many. It is a day that many will never forget. Although many momentous and memorable incidents have taken place since then, none has the power to overshadow the enduring impact of October 20 in the lives of many Nigerians and the profound significance the day holds. It is a day frozen in time that many will never get past.
What started as agitation against police brutality after a young man was gunned down by rampaging and trigger-happy police men of the notorious police unit, Special Anti-Robbery squad (SARS) in Nigeria’s oil-rich state of Delta soon snowballed into an organic protest that drew global attention against bad government and demand for improvement in the socio-economic realities of Nigerians. However, what started as a public demonstration for transparency and accountability from the government, what began as a protest against police brutality and extrajudicial killings, what kicked off as a demand for good governance and an end to corruption, malfeasance and other financial improprieties among elected public officers later degenerated into government-sponsored violence and mayhem and later massacre of unarmed and peaceful protesters by soldiers.
Blood was spilt and lives were taken in cold blood. The government would later fabricate lies, use well-oiled propaganda machines to obfuscate the truth and hound survivors who dare speak out. It made some farcical and perfunctory effort to implement the protesters’ demand but it was all for show. Five years on, the very problems that triggered the protests are yet to be addressed, and for many, the situation has become progressively worse. Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of the October 20 massacre. However, what was supposed to be a solemn, sacred and retrospective day became an ugly and painful sight of chaos that brought back the unnerving memory of the base, grim and sordid incident of five years earlier.
The highhandedness, the overzealousness, the repression and the brutality of the police that sparked the unrest and upheaval of October 2020 were on full display again yesterday. In the build-up to this year’s EndSars anniversary, there were growing calls and relentless agitation for the release of the embattled secessionist. This campaign was spearheaded by popular activist and journalist, Omoyele Sowore. He would go on to fix October 20 for the protest to demand the release of Kanu. So we had two significant events on that day. Many have questioned his decision to fix his protest on the same day as EndSars commemoration. Whatever his motivation was to hold his march for Kanu is not the crux of this piece but how the security operatives responded to a peaceful gathering.
The sheer presence of security operatives on the streets of Abuja yesterday was intimidating and scary for many of its residents. The city was on lockdown for an innocuous protest that did not threaten the peace and stability of the city. The situation is not different in Lagos, the city that carries the morbid stench of the EndSARS catastrophe. A video of Yemi Adamolekun, a Nigerian activist and the executive director of Enough is Enough, a civil society organisation that advocates for better governance in Nigeria, being manhandled and bullied by security agencies while trying to lay a wreath at the Lekki tollgate, one of the locations where soldiers opened fire on protesters and has since become a cenotaph of some sort for those who lost their lives in the horror of that night. There was also a heavy security presence in strategic areas to disperse those who might want to stage a procession to commemorate the day.
In Abuja, the police opened fire and unleashed tear gas on Sowore, Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, his brother and others who took part in the march demanding Kanu’s release. They had to flee the scene as they scrambled for safety. Kanu’s lawyer and brother were later arrested. This is not the first time this government has used brute force and violence to disperse a protest and attack protesters.
This show of force is disconcerting and leaves a sour taste in one’s mouth. The question to ask here is why the government is quick to mobilise and deploy fierce-looking, stone-cold, heavily armed security forces against unarmed and peaceful protesters while the same government is almost always found wanting when it comes to providing adequate security and protection for the lives and property of many Nigerians who are at the mercy of rampaging armed non-state actors.
Why is the government always at alert and ready to disperse peaceful and law-abiding Nigerians and crush dissents who want to make their voice heard on issues that matter to them by hounding, harassing and intimidating them with security operatives but dillydally when it comes to dealing with perverse elements whose destructive activities threatens the stability and peace of the nation, or even outrightly condone their diabolical excesses.
This naked abuse of power and violation of citizens’ rights portrays Nigeria as a police state whose security agencies, especially the police, are designed not to secure the nation and protect the fundamental rights of citizens but to protect the government and shield it from accountability. This behaviour undermines our democracy and weakens our resolve to build a nation where the fundamental rights of the citizen to peacefully assemble are not brazenly violated. We must decide if we want a functioning and thriving country with a strong democracy where the rights of the citizens are respected and upheld or we want a banana republic where impunity and lawlessness are the order of the day.
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