Today marks the first anniversary of the LekkiMassacre & as is due, it's only proper that we remind ourselves of what it stood for before revisionists rewrite our history.
The End SARS protests were a series of protests that rocked most parts of the country last year October. Beginning from Ughelli in Delta State, the protests started when members of the rogue police unit 'SARS' killed a man & tried to steal his car.
Anyone who'd grown up in the south, especially in Edo or Delta State would be familiar with the actions of the police. Highly unprofessional, brash & inconsiderate, it would be a miracle to not have had an experience with them in one's life.
Saying they've had enough, [young] people took to the streets across cities in the nation, peacefully demonstrating - initially calling for police reforms, reforms they'd later expand to accommodate social welfare for the same people who'd still kill them.
For days these protests held on & for the first time in recent history, it seemed the people finally had the power. It was peaceful, it was justified, it had coverage. The Nigerian government had nothing to fall on. It seemed the only card they could play was to accede to the protesters wishes.
Did they? Never. Soon it began to float around that the SARS unit has been disbanded - to be replaced by a new group, SWAT. It made no sense, firstly because the President never gave the declaration officially, secondly because the creation of the new unit would be an extension of the latter.
Still the protesters persisted, insisting that all variations of the unit should be totally scrapped. Seeing the resolve of the patriots, the government decided to introduce anarchy. From a movement that'd civility as its purpose, it became a daily battle to go out. Thugs & the police were instructed to harm the protesters. The protests turned sour & soon it became a free-for-all with killings & destruction of properties to follow. Police stations & other government properties were torched at will.
All this happened till the 20th of October when soldiers opened fire on a group of protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate. Protesters who were drapped in the flag & sang the national anthem. Till this day, the Nigerian Government & the Military denies it, even with overwhelming evidence available. A CNN report said over 23 people were killed. We're not taking into consideration the ones who suffered injuries.
A year later, things still remain the same. Heck, things are worse. The 'disbanded' SARS has managed to creep back into the society & the police still continue to wreak havoc. Barely any of the constituted state panels to check police brutalities have convicted any member of the police force for wrongdoing. We've seen little compensations here & there and that's been the most. CSP Nwakor, head of the dreaded Akwuzu SARS still lives. Reports filtered tound that he's head of security for the Anambra gubernatorial aspirant - Charles Soludo.
Says a lot about the country. Says everything about the leaders we have & the ones we will have.
Just so we're clear, Nigeria is where consequences come to die. Nigeria is where justice comes to die. Nigeria is where legality comes to die. It's where karma ends.
This is no country for dreamers.
The police is the enforcing arm of the law. Thanks to years of abuse of power, the police & army have become tools for oppressing state actors. Whoever finds himself in power uses it to his benefit.
We never marched for a perfect police force. We never believed overnight social reforms would turn Nigeria into el-dorado. Not one person believed that.
But we wanted better. We knew things could be better than they were. Nobody had to suffer profiling because he looked a certain way. Nobody had to endure being abused because she had a nose ring or leg chain. Folks do not have to suffer brutality because they were perceived criminals. No, it made no sense.
I cannot begin to list the atrocities of the Nigerian Police. A close friend was unlucky to be in a football centre when they raided it. He spent a considerable amount to get himself cleared & lost his phone also. His story might be the most gracious available. People have been permanently incarcerated for life, others killed.
The aftermath of the protests can still be felt till today. A number of the movement most vocal leaders have had to flee Nigeria for safety. David Hundeyin, DJ Switch & Fakuus Hakhim are some of the names that come to mind. Others suffered too at the hands of the government with some having that accounts frozen, with a number having their passport seized.
By the day it becomes clearer that Nigeria has no hope of redemption. That the system was made to work against its own people. Some people have made peace with this fact & chosen to manage it, hoping it doesn't swallow them. Others who're less receptive have found a way to leave. The last class of citizens - who hope against hope, keep fighting from inside, believing in the randomness of the universe.
My heart goes out to undeserved victims of the protests. People who'd their properties vandalized & those who lost their lives. It's a stain on the just movement the protests was. Wish them strength & peace.
Today marks the first remembrance of the Lekki Massacre. Do not let history be rewritten for you. Do not grant them the wish of ignoring the evidence your eyes & ears experienced.
It's neccessary in the preservation of the truth.