#ENDSARS… The Struggle
On Thursday 8th of October, for the first time since the online outcry for the End of SARS, Nigerian Youths took to the streets to protest the ills committed by this rogue group. By Friday 9th of October, #EndSARS was trending worldwide with over a million impressions. On Saturday 10th October, I joined the crowd of protesters in Lekki, Lagos, to protest this injustice. As I type now, it’s been 8 days since the protests started all over world, from Lagos, to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Houston, New York, London, Toronto; basically everywhere you can find a Nigerian youth, and it has all been with one voice and towards a single goal: Ending SARS, putting a stop to Police Brutality in the country, and to seek a reform of the entire police force.
The SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) is a rogue unit of the Nigerian Police force, which although was originally commissioned to protect citizens from cases of robbery, motor vehicle thefts, kidnappings, cattle rustlings, and crimes involving firearms, but has now evolved into a unit connected with extortion, harassment, beatings, rape, and even murder of the citizens they are meant to protect. Sad innit? A number of youths have lost their lives to these animals over the years, and now we say “Enough is Enough”.
Almost every Nigerian youth you meet has been a victim of SARS at least once. I have also been a victim as well. I remember it so well because it was on my last birthday. I was going out to have a good time (as it should be), when I was stopped. I was harassed, threatened with a gun, and extorted, before they let me go. That is their Modus Operandi. They profile you based on how you look and dress, on whether or not you wear dreads, dye your hair, have tattoos, wear ripped jeans, or the cars you drive. They harass you, sometimes beat you and even take you to the ATMs to extort from you. If you’re lucky, they let you go alive. Some would say I am one of the lucky ones. Others have had it much worse. You can visit the website endsars.com to read some even gruesome stories experienced by many Nigerians over the years.
Nigerians have had enough. We have engaged in peaceful protests all over the world to voice our displeasure to these attacks, and to request that they come to an end. The government on the other hand has searched for various ways to sabotage these protests. We have been teargassed, had water cannons shot at us, and even had live ammunitions shot at us. Like they are doing the exact same thing we protest against. Isn’t that madness? Since protests began, at least 10 people have lost their lives (May their souls rest in peace and may their struggles never be forgotten).
The government has tried different half-hatched plans to get us off the road. There has been a lot of posturing. They’ve claimed to dissolve the unit (which is at least the 4th time that has happened), but this time we will not be moved by these silly strategies. We demand full accountability by the government. We ask that SARS (or SWAT as they’ve recently metamorphosed into) be disbanded, and the records of each member be individually reviewed to ensure that any one involved in harassing, beating, or killing of anyone face the full wrath of the law, and be openly humiliated. We ask that everyone that has been a victim of these injustices be compensated. We ask also that there be a total reform of the entire police force, because as we have seen over the past week, the rot has eaten deep, and it seems like the government has no control over these rogues. We have called these our #5FOR5 demands, and until these are met, with full assurances given, we will not be leaving the streets.
I would specially like to appreciate the Nigerian youths, at home and in diaspora, for their resilience and courage in the face of damning opposition. This movement has no leader, and rightly so. There’s no face to it except of those who have lost their lives. We stick to this resolution and remain united despite the government’s tactics to scatter us. We thank the Feminist coalition for the co-ordination, raising, and the disbursement of funds to support the struggle. We thank every celebrity who have stood up for the struggle. We thank every Nigerian who has supported this mission, online, at the protest grounds, financially, and all round. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten. This is a critical time for the future of Nigeria. I see our generation birthing the new Nigeria that we will all be proud of. All these are birth pangs, a new day is coming. We will make it happen.
For those yet to speak up, know this, in the words of South-African human rights activist and cleric, Desmond Tutu, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor”. Martin Luther King Jr. also agreed when he said, “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetuate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it”. To our religious leaders, we need your voices now more than ever. We know the influence you hold, wield it now to keep us safe and fight for our cause. Like Pastor Adeboye said, “Our daughters will not be able to prophesy and young men will not see visions if we don’t keep them alive”. For the older generation, our parents, we don’t even ask that you march with us, all we ask is that you don’t stop us. We know you’re scared, we are too, but as Robert Tew said , “Sometimes what you’re most afraid of doing is the very thing that will set you free”.
We do this not just for ourselves, but so our children do not have to be subjected to the same ills we have been. We do this for our freedom. There is no stopping us now. This ship has sailed and won’t stop until we get to our destination. Our weyrey don sorosoke and e no dey fem again. We won’t get tired. We cannot get tired. We get our strength from Jimoh Isiaq, from Kolade Johnson, from Tina Ezekwe, and from all our fallen comrades in this struggle. We ask that the entire world come to our aid and that our government listens to our cries. All we want is to be left alive to live our lives, the life God has purposed for us. Until then, A luta continua; a vitória é certa!
P.S.: I recently sat with a friend who runs a beautiful podcast (HerOwnHero Podcast), Favour Onukogu, to discuss this issue at hand. If you’re a lover of podcasts (or not 😜), or you just want to know what I sound like, you can check the episode by clicking on this link.
