SARS and its many sins

In Nigeria’s 60 years as an independent country, there has not been a moment of widespread protests and demonstration by the youths for a unified cause until the #EndSARS movement started.

Nigerians, often beclouded by tribal sentiments, ethnicity, or division along political party divides, have found it difficult over the years to demand effective governance and accountability from their leaders. However, things have taken a dramatic U-turn since the past one week and more with the shutdown of many states in the country due to the nefarious activities of the SARS unit of the country’s police force.

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a Nigerian police unit, was first formed in 1992 to tackle the growing rate of crime in the country, especially Armed Robbery and Kidnapping. When it started operations, it was really an efficient outfit with many resounding victories in reducing armed robbery incidents and kidnapping, especially in the south-south region of the country, where it started to other parts of the country.

However, the unit started generating negative comments from the same people it swore to protect years ago. Trouble started when they left the main description of their work and started chasing and harassing young Nigerians doing well in their respective fields. Nigeria, still a developing country, is just trying to meet up with how things are done in other developed nations.

For example, in the way of dressing, Nigerians are gradually moving on from the era of wearing mostly African prints and styles to more sophisticated and trendy wears. Also, in the area of hairstyles and others, Nigerian youths are changing how things used to be because we are now in a new generation of modernization in almost all aspects of life.

It is important to know that in the olden times, most people were comfortable with the 9–5 ways to build their lives and generate wealth. Even though this proved to be effective in some ways, the advent of new media and technology has brought new and relatively more comfortable ways to make money from the internet. For example, some tech and modern skills such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotic Engineering, Software Development, Copywriting, UI/UX designer, and programming are multi-billion dollar industries the vast majority of the youths are moving into yearly.

Someone who graduated at 22 and worked as a programmer for some years can comfortably drive a car or afford basic things on his own before they clock 30. Interestingly, one of the top billionaires in the world and Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is still under 40, and he made his first billion more than a decade ago. This is to show the rate at which resourceful youths can excel early in life and have access to what people of the previous generation used years of toil and sweat to build and get.

Ironically, just as we have young people working excellently day in, day out to make money legitimately, we have a few bad eggs earning illegal money from internet scams, wire frauds, email fraud, and other related crimes. They are the people who made it difficult for other legit individuals to enjoy their toil.

The notorious SARS unit grew from a formidable crime unit to one who harasses, extort, and sometimes kill young people perceived to be well to do with the vague intention that the riches must be from internet scams. Most times, they don’t even go through the right investigative ways to get the truth because they are only concerned about how much they can extort and not actually apprehending them.

According to a report by Amnesty International in 2016, SARS is responsible for human abuse, cruelty, degrading treatment of Nigerians in their custody, and other widespread torture.

Usually, the EFCC is tasked with fraud cases and related crimes, but they have been taken out of the context that it is hard to know the nature of what they do in their jobs apart from fighting mostly toothless fights with corrupt politicians.

These days, you can’t move around the country dressed immaculately without being labeled as a criminal. Dyeing of hair, carrying laptops around, using an iPhone, wearing designer clothes, or driving a good car are all triggers for the dreaded men of the SARS unit of the Nigerian Police Force.

Tiamiyu Kazeem was an elegant footballer who played for Remo stars before he was murdered by the SARS unit’s evil men in Sagamu. He had plans of starring for a European team before his sad and untimely demise. Kazeem’s family will have to live with this agony for the rest of their lives.

This is one of the stories of the many people men of the SARS unit of the Nigerian Police Force have murdered and tortured over the years.

For people and families who survived it, their lives will never be the same again. A lady in one of the protests was crying all through. She said all her three brothers who came into the country after a stint overseas were killed and their bodies dumped in a well. How will such a person feel for the rest of her life?

The continued protests will cripple the Nigerian economy, especially for small business owners and blue-chip companies.

The Airport has already been blocked in some states, and major roads will be blocked in the coming days, according to words on the street.

Also, the anonymous group, a group notorious for its hacking expertise in solidarity with common causes in solidarity with the #EndSARS protests, has hacked some Nigerian government websites and gave a 72 hours ultimatum to the government to accept the demands of the protesters or they will release confidential information to the public.

The government can put the protests under control by accepting and implementing the demands of the protesters. The IG of police announced the SARS unit’s disbandment two days ago and said a new unit named SWAT will be set up instead.

Protesters replied that the SWAT team will be an extension of the disbanded SARS unit, and there are reports in some quarters that it has been there before.

The protests are not showing signs of abating soon, and with the possibility of the protests being hijacked for selfish reasons or sabotage from politicians, we can only hope it ends soon.

If the government doesn’t bulge, then the protesters will continue to have a field day, and even more, states will join until the whole country’s economic fortunes are halted to gain attention.

It is interesting to know that essential things like food, medical supplies, and emergency services are provided. Even with police harassment for peaceful protesters, they are not deterred and vowed to continue until their voices are ahead.

#EndSARS #EndPoliceBrutailtyInNigeria