#EndSARS: Contradictions of a Paranoid Regime
Last month, the mass of young Nigerians erupted into protests against the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) across major cities. The protests which started online under the hashtag #EndSARS metamorphosed into a swelling movement, expanding from its original demands against SARS to include demands for good governance. Two weeks into the protests, hoodlums began to attack protesters and destroy public and private property. They also carried out jailbreak in some cities. These hoodlums were believed in some quarters to have been sponsored by the government to discredit the protests and give legitimate room for the government to use force against the protesters.
The protests came to a disturbing climax on the 20th of October when, against all good judgment, men of the Nigerian Army opened fire on unarmed protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate. The world watched in horror as government soldiers shot and killed unarmed citizens waving the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem. In the days that followed, palpable uncertainty hung in the air as uncontrollable rioters went on rampage across many cities. In the ensuing mayhem, public and private property were looted and burnt. Mind-blowing amounts of palliatives reportedly procured to cushion the hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic – but never given to the people – were discovered hidden away in government warehouses including the palace of the Oba of Lagos. Needless to say, the rampaging youth licked the warehouses clean especially as law-enforcement agencies disappeared from the streets in fear of reprisals from the public following the Lekki Massacre.
The day following the Lekki Massacre, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu denied that unarmed citizens had been killed at the toll gate the night before. In similar fashion, the Nigerian Army denied that its men had been at the toll gate the night of the incident. In the days that followed however, indisputable evidence began to surface on the internet in the form of videos and pictures. It emerged that one Bello of the Nigerian Army had reportedly led the operation. Since then, there has been blame game between the Lagos State Government and the Nigerian Army. Governor Sanwo-Olu had claimed in his broadcast of October 21 that the shooting had occurred on the orders of forces “beyond our direct control.” However, the Nigerian Army has allegedly now claimed it was invited by the governor to intervene at the toll gate the night of the incident. The Army is also denying that it fired live ammunition into the crowd of protesters, but those who were at the toll gate, including DJ Switch, claim to have evidence to the contrary.
Nigerians watched with palpable contempt as the authorities prevaricated on who ordered the mass shooting of unarmed protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate that night. However, more outrageous was the silence of President Muhammadu Buhari, who for the entire two weeks of the protests simply ignored the people. Even after soldiers opened fire on harmless civilians, President Buhari remained unmoved in Aso Rock. Apparently reeling from biting attacks against his principal’s attitude, spokesperson Femi Adesina argued that every president had his style and Buhari’s style was not to rush into giving broadcasts but to take action where it mattered. Apparently, it did not matter enough that Nigerian citizens had been murdered in cold blood by government soldiers. Eventually when President Buhari yielded to pressure and addressed the country, he barely mentioned the Lekki Massacre. Nigerians were immediately disgusted at the president’s speech, necessitating a second-thought additional statement from the president.
President Buhari’s supporters have been laboring hard to find ways of justifying the government’s handling of the protests. They have argued that when the protesters’ demands were heard by the federal government and SARS disbanded, they ought to have cleared from the streets. Those who supported the #EndSARS protests argued that government had made similar pronouncements against the murderous police unit in the past but nothing had come out of them. Supporters of the president have been citing the widespread looting and destruction of public and private property that occurred at the time as justification for the use of force against the protesters. They have been challenged by supports of the #EndSARS protests to prove that the protesters at Lekki Toll Gate were looting and burning down property. So far, no such proof has been produced. Observers are also curious about whether the law provides for killing anyone who disturbs the public peace the way the protesters are alleged to have done. They are demanding to know why the authorities did not arrest and prosecute the protesters in line with the laws of the land.
While the arguments go back and forth, those who thought they have heard the last about the #EndSARS protests may be in for a shock. With the judicial commissions of enquiry beginning to sit over SARS brutality in some states including Lagos, the Central Bank of Nigeria has frozen the accounts of those it claimed supported the protests. Also, at least one person has been reportedly prevented from leaving the country. Reports also quote DJ Switch as saying she has left the country following threats to her life.
One cannot help noticing the contradictions emerging from the federal government’s response to the protests. On the one hand, the government is desperate to claim that it listened to the demands of the #EndSARS protesters and is implementing them. Yet on the other hand, it is in obvious pain that “ordinary” Nigerians could find the effrontery to take to the streets and express themselves against the government. Consequently, it has embarked on moves to intimidate, cripple and deter those known to have influenced the protests. One must also wonder why the Central Bank has been so swift to track and freeze the accounts of citizens expressing legitimate grievances against the government, but has been “unable” to extend the same swiftness to freeze bank accounts traceable to terrorists ravaging the country.
Already, some politicians are giving suggestions on how to prevent a second wave of the #EndSARS protests. If anything will lead to a second wave, it will be this government’s undisguised contempt for Nigerians and palpable hypocrisy in handling legitimate grievances of the people. The government’s preoccupation with self-preservation, suppression of freedom of speech, and intimidation of voices of dissent is a detonator of the people’s mounting fury. There still remains ample opportunity for President Buhari to reverse this negative character of his administration and put Nigeria on the path to genuine peace and progress. He must, however, find the willpower to listen to the heartbeat of Nigerians and desist from thinking everyone who criticizes his government is trying to remove him from power.
