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2        Africa telegraph         25 October - 09 November 2020

                 If we do an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, we will be a                                               West Africa News
                             blind and toothless nation




                                             By  Goodluck Ngoma
           Abuja,  Nigeria - Martin Luther King Jr
           said, “If we do an eye for an eye and a
           tooth for a tooth, we will be a blind and
           toothless nation.” Nigerian politicians and
           leaders are believed to have plundered
           the wealth  of the country for decades.
           As a result, youths are on a looting and
           stealing rampage on the streets as they
           campaign to #ENDSARS.

           During the #ENDSARS protest at Lek-
           ki, in Lagos on the night of 20  October,
                                   th
           at about 6.30pm, the Nigerian military
           opened fire during a peaceful demonstra-
           tion and  massacred innocent civilians.
           Now,  the Nigerian youths are capturing
           Police  Officers,  local  businesses  and
           government properties, and setting them
           on fire. “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for
           a tooth” is clearly making Nigeria a blind
           and toothless country.

           #ENDSARS
           End SARS was a peaceful protest aimed
           to highlight  police brutality in Nigeria.
           The slogan calls for an end to the Special
           Anti-Robbery Squad, known as SARS, a
           controversial unit of the Nigerian Police
           with a long record of abuses.
                                                                               Nigerians youths are outraged by police brutality.
           #ENDSARS gathered momentum two
           weeks ago after a video appeared  on                                                                              SARS protest on Thursday, 22 October,
           social  media  showing  Police  Officers                                                                          in Nnewi, Anambra State.
           shoot and kill a man. As a result, many
           stories and other evidences  of police                                                                            Protests were also held in the commer-
           harassment, victimisation, rape, assault,                                                                         cial hub, Lagos, the country’s capital,
           intimidation, unlawfully arrests, extortion                                                                       Abuja, and many other cities.
           and murdering innocent citizens circulat-
           ed widely. Nigerian Police have always                                                                            “A leader  can never  win a battle
           been  unconventional.  A 2016  index  of                                                                          against his own people”
           world policing ranked Nigeria’s force as
           the worst out of 127 countries. Nigerians                                                                         Former president, Goodluck Jonathan
           across the country have too often been                                                                            has condemned  the shooting of  #END-
           terrorised by those supposed to protect                                                                           SARS protesters by security forces.
           and serve them.                                                                                                   Jonathan, in a statement last Thursday,
                                                                                                                             said the federal government did not talk
           Lekki Massacre                                                                                                    with the protesters before using force. He
                                                                                                                             added that such actions will only worsen
           The shooting of peaceful protestors in                                                                            the situation, which he said has already
           Lekki  has highlighted  the injustice  and                                                                        happened.
           the kind of police and state brutality that
           have fuelled the #ENDSARS movement                                                                                He said, “As leaders, we must under-
           in the first place.                     Police Chief, Mr Adamu said all SWAT staff will undergo a psychological   stand that  we can never win a  battle
                                                  and medical examination before further training and redeployment. A new
           At Lekki, in Lagos on 20 October, Nige-  Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team will fill the gaps left from the   against our own people.”
           ria’s flag was stained with the blood of in-                     dissolution of SARS.                             Buhari emergency meeting of former
           nocent protesters. The young protestors                                                                           Nigerian presidents
           were  clutching  onto  their  national  flag   believed it is the same people in a new   Harcourt in defiance of a ban on demon-
           when security forces opened fire at the   uniform. As a result, they produced an-  strations imposed by the  Rivers State   The tension was so bad that the current
           Lekki tollgate.  The state’s  governor ini-  other campaign known as #ENDswat on   governor.                      president had to hold a virtual emergency
           tially denied that anyone was killed, but   Twitter.  To replace  a notorious  agency                             meeting with his predecessors, to find a
           later confirmed that it was just one fatal-  that was disbanded following public out-  At  least three people have been shot   way to end the unrest.
           ity, only for witnesses to release videos   cry over its alleged human rights abuses   dead during a clash between campaign-
           and photos of multiple  fatalities among   with another, is inconceivable.  ers and police in Ibadan, Oyo State cap-  President Buhari presided over a Nation-
           the hundreds gathered in defiance of a                                      ital on Tuesday, witnesses say.       al Security Council  meeting with some
           curfew.                               Nationwide protest                                                          former heads of state, including, General
                                                                                       On  Wednesday  21 October,  protesters   Yakubu  Gowon (rtd.), former President
           State violence permeates society      The most peaceful demonstrations have    set  Nwaorieubi Police Divisional  Head-  Olusegun Obasanjo, Gen  Abdulsalami
                                                 been disrupted by the massacre of young   quarters in Mbaitoli LGA of Imo State on   Abubakar (rtd.), former President Good-
           The government  said it  would disband   people  in Lekki.  Amnesty International   fire.                         luck Jonathan, and former head of  in-
           the SARS squad, but added that it would   said last Tuesday that at least ten peo-                                terim national government, Chief Ernest
           create a new unit known as SWAT. The   ple were killed in the protests, but reports   In  Ondo State, protesters  ignored  the   Shonekan.
           head of  the police Mohammed  Ada-    gave much higher figures.             curfew and three people  were reported
           mu, announced that SWAT would carry                                         killed as the police shot at protesters.  Others who are physically present at the
           out the duties done by the Special Anti   The event that started in Lagos and Abu-                                meeting  are  members  of the security
           Robbery Squad (SARS). Nigerians were   ja is now becoming a nationwide unrest.  The police spokesperson, Haruna Mo-  chiefs, including Vice President
           outraged by the unveiling of the new po-                                    hammed  confirmed  that  a  police  officer   Yemi Osinbajo;   National Se-
           lice unit.  They see the changes as not   In the eastern part of the country, activ-  was beheaded  and burnt to ashes  by   curity  Adviser, Major General
           enough to  reform the police, as they   ists have marched in the oil hub of Port   suspected hoodlums during  the #END-
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