It is rather disheartening and unfortunate that the lives of many young and promising Nigerians have been cut short in the last few days in the course of protesting police brutality in the country and this will make one wonders if Black lives matter in Nigeria or it is just a popular slogan that Nigerians love to relate to.
In countries where Democracy is practiced globally, peaceful protest is considered as one of the rights of every citizen but the case seems to be different for Nigerians who nurse the fear of participating in a peaceful demonstration to speak against policies, laws, and acts that do not go down well with their well-being.
It is becoming more like a culture how the Nigeria Police Force will announce that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS has been banned or dissolved for engaging in different forms of human right abuse, brutality, and harassment which many Nigerians consider as an act that doesn’t portray the squad as such that stands for the protection of lives of an ordinary citizen.
Of a truth, the SARS was created as a unit under the Nigeria Police Force to combat Kidnapping, Armed-Robbery and other social vices that could threaten the lives of Nigerians but over the years, the squad has turned out to be a bone in the neck of many Nigerians, particularly, the youths, who are frequently suspected as cybercriminals.
Some months back, the Black Lives Matter protests reached its peak on June 6, 2020, when half a million people turned out in nearly 550 places across the United States. According to a data science firm, ( Civis Analytics ), over 15 million to 26 million people in the US took part in the BLM demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.
During the demonstrations, many Nigerians and other Africans who were in the US joined the protests and those who were here in Nigeria also raised their voices in support of the movement.
Forbes reported that over 28 million Instagram users posted a plain black square along with the hashtag #blackouttuesday in support of the BLM movement.
One will assume that there is no big deal for Nigerians home and abroad to show solidarity for the BLM movement but at the same time, it is imperative to be clear if Black lives only matter outside the shores of Nigeria given how some SARS operatives are carrying out their duties during and before the #EndSARS protest.
Though many Nigerian youths and Celebrities have taken over both the social media platforms and streets across Nigeria and outside Nigeria to call on the Inspector-General of Police to scrap the SARS unit which the IGP, Mohammed Adamu eventually did, but many Nigerians are skeptical about the dissolution.
According to the IGP, SARS operatives across all the 36 State Commands and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT have been dissolved with immediate effect, all officers and men serving in the unit will be redeployed to other Police Commands, Formations, and Units.
He added that a new policing arrangement for tackling the offenses of Armed-Robbery and other violent crimes will be unveiled to the public.
Also, the IGP announced that a Citizens and strategic Stakeholders Forum will be launched to provide an avenue for citizens to regularly interface and advise the Police authority on issues touching on the general public.
He vowed that an investigative Team will be constituted which will include Civil Society Organisations to deal with the report of crimes committed against citizens by SARS operatives.
Reacting to the dissolution, many Nigerians noted that it is not a reason to jump for Joy or to back off from protesting the allegation of brutality and harassment so far leveled against the SARS operatives.
Meanwhile, the Amnesty International Nigeria said research since 2016 exposed the callous workings of a police squad operating outside of the law and inflicting daily brutality on Nigerians who are often legally powerless to defend themselves against criminal accusations, let alone from the torture meted out by SARS.
It was gathered that since 2016, Amnesty International has been receiving reports from lawyers, human rights defenders, and journalists and collected testimonies stating that some police officers in SARS regularly demand bribes, steal and extort money from criminal suspects and their families.
Aside from the Amnesty International, various civil society organizations, individuals and groups have testified to how the vast majority of SARS operatives have turned themselves to a blood-sucking squad, who has been milking Nigerians dry.
If indeed, Black Lives matters in Nigeria, there is the need for government and all concerned stakeholders to put the necessary measures in place to ensure that ordinary Nigerians can see security operatives as someone that could be trusted with the protection of their lives and property.
Also, beyond the dissolution of the SARS unit as announced by the IGP, there is an urgent need for the total overhauling and reorientation of police officers across the nation to avoid further loss of lives and unneeded confrontation between police and the civilians.
Moreover, erring police operatives must be brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others and a form of Justice to all innocent Nigerians, who have lost their lives.