At least 15 people have been killed, including two policemen, since protests against police brutality erupted in Nigeria this month, according to Amnesty International on Monday.
Anger over abuses by Nigeria police’s notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) forced the government to scrap the unit, but protests have continued and snowballed into calls for sweeping changes in the West African powerhouse.
One person died in the northern city of Kano on Monday while four others died in Benin City, Abuja and Osogbo over the weekend, Amnesty spokesman Isa Sanusi told AFP.
Amnesty had reported a death toll of 10 last Thursday, a week after the protests erupted.
In Lagos, home to 20 million people, thousands of people took to the streets again on Monday bringing the economic hub to a standstill.
In the capital Abuja, tensions were high after protestors said they were attacked by suspected hired thugs on Sunday.
“The Nigerian army and police are everywhere, no doubt to stop the peaceful protest,” 24-year-old demonstrator Anita Izato told AFP.
Meanwhile, police said one of their facilities was attacked on Monday by “persons posing as #EndSARS protestors” in Benin, Edo state.
“The extent of damage cannot be ascertained at the moment but the report indicates that the protesters carted away arms and ammunition from the armoury and freed the suspects in custody before setting some of the facilities ablaze,” the Nigerian police said on Twitter.
A new SWAT force to replace SARS was scheduled to start its training on Monday.
The unit “will operate within very high professional and ethical standards, rule of law and dictates of best international policing practices,” a police statement said on Sunday, adding that it would receive training from the International Committee of the Red Cross. (AFP)
I make this plea as someone who has been in the different layers of the struggle for over 30 years, particularly against the military. So, I’m speaking from experience. Banger no be bullet. My position might be unpopular in a time of angst but I’m saying this with great conviction. A popular struggle is not a 100 meter dash; it’s a marathon. You fight, you pause, you engage, and you re-strategise.
This Endsars struggle has been substantially successful and l give kudos to all those that keyed into it. However, in any struggle of this nature, there is a time of reassessment, against the backdrop of the concessions made by the other side. At this stage, it is time to suspend these protests, lest all the gains made be lost. When it is suspended and say within a short period, if the government doesn’t concretely implement ABCD of the demands, we would be back on the streets. At this stage, the protesters are at an advantage to negotiate but if the government decides to use force to break the protests, all the gains would have been lost and you would be at a disadvantaged position to negotiate.
I know the hardliners would dismiss this as being cowardly or pacifist, if you have not been involved in a struggle or in incarceration, you won’t appreciate this. In one of Gani Fawehinmi’s long incarceration, an arrangement was made to release him to the late Ooni of Ife. Under normal circumstance, Gani would not accept a traditional ruler to serve as a sort of “surety” for his release but we wanted a Gani alive for the struggle than a dead Gani. Those who asked MKO Abiola not to accept a contrived conditional bail are still with their families, while Abiola’s family and businesses crumbled while he was cajoled not to accept the conditional bail. He would have been out to reassess the situation and how to fight back to reclaim his mandate.
I urge that these protests be suspended. The hardliners against the suspension would not be there when soldiers start shooting. Ask the Shiites people. I was involved in brokering the El Zackzakky bail before he was flown to India before the disagreement in India and the subsequent military action against them which l was trying to prevent. In Ebutte Metta, Lagos today, a police station attacked and you see policemen running. Somewhere in Ikeja, a policeman was stopped on a bike and he was asked to kneel down and water poured on him. There are going to be reprisals for these actions because we can’t be acting like the SARS people that we fight. Anarchy is setting in.
Guys, let reason prevail. This is not cowardly but wisdom so that we can hold on to the gains made in this protest. It is easy to stay on the social media and egg people on. I have been in trenches all my years. I have been to police, SSS and DMI detentions. I have faced bullets. So, I’m not a coward but wisdom, with the benefit of hindsight ought to teach one when to advance and when to retreat.
The #EndSARS protests in Abuja is assuming dangerous colouration as alleged pro-SARS thugs burnt tens of cars and became subjects of reprisal attacks in the Apo District of Abuja, home to traders and mechanics.
At press time, no word had come from authorities as angry traders chased around the alleged hoodlums with axes and cudgels.
Some of the other disturbing pictures and videos could not be verified at press time, so Everyday.ng cannot publish them.
Recall that the Minister of Youths and Social Development, Sunday Dare, after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday told journalists that the President recognised the right of the youths to protest, but cautioned against violence.
His words: “First, Mr President said as far as he was concerned, it is important to allow the younger generation to exercise the freedom to protest, but he did say that such protests must be in a peaceful manner.
“Of course, he is worried about some of the exceptions to the peaceful nature of the protests.
“For him, it is important that these protests are properly guided. He said part of the demands that were made was to ensure those protesting are protected and any police officer that has in one way or the other attacked any protester be brought to book.
“So, Mr President thinks it is a fundamental human right, so long as the protest is peaceful and focused. He said he has been responsive to demands put forward by the protesters.
“He believes the youth to a very large extent are law-abiding, they are young people with dreams and expectations of the government and the society and that they have a right to demand for certain things, which is why he has a very attentive ear to their demands….
“The President spoke directly on Monday, condemning the killings, particularly the extra-judicial killings that have occurred before, police brutality and approving investigation and to bring the guilty to book. That is one level of conversation.
“Last week, we had a virtual town-hall meeting in which we had the police PRO and myself engaging with over 145 youths online, where they asked numerous questions.
“We provided updates and the police was able to give further details on how the reforms were proceeding and will proceed, in some cases clear timelines on how the reforms will take place.
“The demands are already in the public and the government is already addressing those demands. That in itself is a demand and a conversation….
“Some of these demands will take time there are processes that must take place.
“Some of the demands need administrative responses; some of them need legislation; some of them need executive orders where necessary.
“All of these will take time. We live in a constitutional democracy, these processes cannot be usurped or bypassed, they must take time.
“But I think that the youth of this country have been heard, the agenda is clear and the government has taken note, government has gone to work.”
Announcing the death of a protester earlier in the day, Police spokeswoman for the Abuja Command, Mariam Yusuf, said in a statement: “The Commissioner of Police FCT Command, Bala Ciroma, has called for calm among protesters, following a clash between the EndSARS and Pro-SARS protesters at the Central Business District in the early hours of Monday, October 19.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that no life was lost; however, one vehicle was set ablaze during the clash. In view of this, the Commissioner of Police has ordered a discreet investigation into the incident.
“In another development, the Command wishes to outrightly condemn the violent attack on a protester by unknown hoodlums along Kubwa axis on Saturday, October 17, 2020.
“The hoodlums who infiltrated the ranks of the #EndSARS protesters attacked one Anthony Onome Unuode and left him with various degrees of injury which eventually resulted in death.”
Meantime, the Lagos State Government has ordered the closure of public and private schools in the state indefinitely.
This was announced in a press statement by the state’s Head of Public Affairs, Ministry of Education, Kayode Abayomi, on Monday.
The statement was titled, ‘Lagos directs students to stay at home’.
It quoted the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, as saying that the schools were shut down over “tension generated by the anti-SARS protests.”
The PUNCH reports that academic activities were affected in some schools in the state on Monday as protests against police brutality and bad governance continue.
The statement read in part, “The Lagos State Government has directed all pupils/students in public and private schools to stay at home following the tension generated by the anti-SARS protests.
“A new date of resumption for all classes will be announced as soon as possible.”
Adefisayo added that “the safety of the pupils/students, parents and all staff working in schools is paramount at this critical period”.
She however advised parents to “keep an eye on their wards and not allow them to be used as willing tools in the hands of those who might want to hijack the protests to unleash mayhem on the society”.
The Commissioner also encouraged schools to “utilise other means of distance teaching and learning i.e radio, television and online media as they have been doing during and post the recent COVID-19 lockdown”.
The PUNCH had reported that the Lagos State Government approved that both public and private schools in the state can fully resume from Monday, October 19, 2020.
Schools in the state were previously closed to curb the spread of coronavirus in the state.
Adefisayo, who made the announcement in a press statement last Monday, said the physical resumption, which was for the 2020/2021 academic session, would include pupils in pre-primary, daycare, kindergarten, and nursery schools.
The PUNCH gathered that many students and teachers encountered difficulty in getting to schools in the state on Monday.
There was also violence in the Yaba area of the state when some hoodlums attacked operatives of the Rapid Response Squad.
Our correspondent gathered some of the pupils and teachers trekked long distances to get to schools.
This is as #EndSARS protesters mounted roadblocks in strategic locations in the state in a bid to express their displeasure.
Soldiers took positions in Abuja as part of the mandate to secure Abuja and stratetegic facilities, as well as the Asokoro district which houses the Presidential Villa, the official seat of power and residence of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and their families, Everyday.ng has learnt.
But activist lawyer, and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana, has cautioned the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, and his men that they risk facing the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague if any of the #EndSARS protesters is killed.
Falana, in a statement as the Chairman of the Alliance for Survival of COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to invite soldiers to resolve a purely democratic issue that calls for dialogue and constructive engagement.
Youths across Nigeria have kept up their 12 days old protest to end Police brutality and sundry issues that have bedevilled the country for decades.
The Army Brigade of Guards protects the President and his immediate vicinity which stretches as far as Zuba, Giri, and Mogadishu Barracks, a stone-throw from the A.Y.A. Roundabout.
The roundabout is less than two and half kilometers to one of the gates of the Presidential Villa.
#EndSARS protesters had announced that they planned to take over A.Y.A. roundabout by Monday, which caused the security agencies to scramble a quick response that effectively kept away protesters, but most civil and public servants could not make it to their offices as protesters blocked other points on the Abuja-Lafia expressway.
But the Police engaged and tear gassed protesters who attempted to to access the Villa through the John Kennedy street entrance.
It was also gathered that the soldiers who flooded the streets of Abuja on Monday were not those meant to be part of the Nigerian Army Operation Crocodile Smile VI, but the Army has been hard-pressed to convince the general public as to the coincidence of the exercise.
The Army on Sunday denied that the operation was aimed at disrupting the ongoing #EndSARS protests across the country.
It said this year’s Exercise Crocodile Smile VI scheduled to commence from Tuesday 20th of October to the 31 of December 2020 had no relationship with any lawful protest under any guise whatsoever.
“To now insinuate that it is an exercise meant to stifle the ongoing ENDSARS protest is to say the least highly misinformed.
“Exercise Crocodile Smile VI has nothing to do with the ongoing protest and the Nigerian Army has never been involved in the ongoing protest in any form whatsoever”, it said.
Col. Sagir Musa, the Army spokesman said in a statement that so far, the army had acted professionally since the civil protest started over two weeks ago.
“For the records, Exercise Crocodile Smile is a yearly exercise in the NA calendar/forecast of events, which traditionally holds from October to December of each year.
“This year’s Exercise Crocodile Smile is scheduled to commence from the 20 of October to the 31 of December 2020 has no relationship with any lawful protest under any guise whatsoever,” he said.
However, Falana’s ASCAB said: “It is unfortunate that the Nigerian government is sending a signal to the military that it has a role to play in a purely civil matter.
“The plan to deploy soldiers is dangerous. It will push Nigeria into the red light district of global reckoning. Sending soldiers after school children and leaders of tomorrow shows what future we anticipate for the teeming population of young men and women who have taken to the streets to protest against a system that buries their dreams and shatter their potentials and aspirations.
“We urge President Mohammadu Buhari not to use soldiers to quell a peaceful, civil protest. The protesters have been lawful. The few cases of violence were associated with armed thugs disrupting the protests coupled with the shooting of protesters by security operatives.
“The political class is isolating Nigerians from governance. State resources are squandered by a few, corrupt people who over the years have failed to address institutional rot that continues to fuel anger and desperation of the toiling people.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has issued a marching order to security agencies to do whatever is necessary to put an end to banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other related crimes bedeviling Katsina and the Northwest region.
The Minister for Interior, Ogbeni Rauuf Aregbesola, accompanied by the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, made the disclosure at an emergency town hall meeting with stakeholders in Katsina which was organized as part of measures to end the spate of insecurity facing the state and the region
While assuring the region of the determination of the Federal Government to bring its total brutal and ferocious might to bear on the enemies of peace in the area, the minister added that time has come to put an end to all forms of criminality.
He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari and his cabinet were saddened with the wanton killings and destruction of lives and property being carried out by the bandits.
“The marauding bandits terrorizing the North-West zone of the country have massacred over 8,000 persons in Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto and Niger states.
“Their most threatening attack was on April 18, 2020 on Katsina villages during which 47 people were killed. These criminals attack mostly people in the rural areas; kill, steal and rape without mercy, they are practically destroying the economy of rural areas and the food supply chain of the country”.
He also declared that the charge received from the President is twofold; first is to put an end to the banditry group, while the second is to work with the government and people of the state to restore normal life, especially to the people in the rural areas and the farming community.
Also speaking, the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, admitted that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is bedeviled with unprofessional conducts that are not in line with democratic principles of governance.
He noted that the stakeholders’ engagement is coming at a time when Police in this country is being faced with the challenge of unprofessional conducts that are not in tune with the principles of democratic governance
Earlier, the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari said the state government had made frantic efforts in tackling security challenges in the state.
▪︎Excitement as all channels are now for free viewership…
There were reports doing the round on the social media that the broadcast services provided by MultiChoice Nigeria, owners of DSTV and GOTV had been allegedly hacked by controversial hackers, “Anonymous”.
When the claim was validated by checking the channels available on ‘Yanga’ a lesser DSTV bouqet, it was observed that several channels that used to be reserved for a premium bouqet was available for viewership on the said “Yanga’” subscription.
But there were counter claims by the DSTV that the company decided to open all of its channels because the firm was upgrading its system.
“We don’t want our subscribers to go through challenges, that is why we open all channels till we complete the upgrade.
“We had informed our subscribers of this upgrade earlier last week,” a source reportedly said.
Pastor (Mrs.) Folu Adeboye, wife of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, on Sunday lent her voice to the ongoing #EndSARS protest in Nigeria.
‘Mummy G.O. as fondly called, supported #EndSars protesters in the Alausa protest ground with trucks loaded with food supplies.
Among items sent to the protest ground directly from RCCG camp were 200 packs of bottle water, 1,000 bags of pure water and 27 bags of snacls (puff puff).
Mummy G.O sent in 3 trucks to Alausa this morning. We have 27 packs of bottle water, 1,000 of pure water & 27 bags of snacks (puff-puff) directly from RCCG camp. We see it, we appreciate it! #EndSARS #AlausaProtest
Pastor Enoch Adeboye and the Redeemed Christian Church of God had, on Thursday, supported the #EndSARS, #EndSWAT protests when he took to his Instagram page to write: “Our daughters will not be able to prophesy and young men will not see visions if we don’t keep them alive. I support the youths in this peaceful protest as they “speak up” to #EndPoliceBrutality #EndSARS #ENDSWAT.”
Also, the church shared the image below where it attested that it is in full support of the protests. (TNG)
Access to Justice has stated that there is a need to make Police more accountable beyond the promises being made all around by the Federal Government on the reform of the Police.
It further stated that several institutions have contributed to the present challenges foisted on the citizens by the Nigeria Police Force, because of their inability to do what ought to have done.
This is contained in a statement titled “No Space Was Left To Hold Police Accountable: Reforms To Policing Require Far Deeper Changes Across Multiple Platforms, Not “Candy” Promises”, issued by the Convener, Joseph Otteh and Project Director, Deji Ajare which was made available to TheNigeriaLawyer(TNL).
“Until the #EndSARS Campaign began an unprecedented, citizen involved political action, no space was left for Nigerian people to hold the police accountable for its acts of brutality and culture of impunity. Internal processes of police accountability were mostly shambolic, pretending to be there, but giving abusers in their system basically a free pass. Every now and then, the police would pass off the impression that they were intolerant of abuses, but that was mostly a whitewash of reality.
“External processes of accountability were also lacking. The Police Service Commission, which has constitutional responsibility for the discipline of members of the police force long abandoned that mandate, which perhaps was its most important – and chose instead softer pastures to cultivate – recruitment, promotions, election-monitoring, and postings of senior police personnel. Why these matters were prioritized over disciplinary oversight of the police is a great cause for concern and makes a case for the overhaul of the Commission.
“Although the Commission’s inertness and ineffectiveness are not captured by the headlights of the current campaign, the Police Service Commission is just as complicit in the brutality and impunity of the police force as the perpetrators themselves. Without an engaged, primed and dependable Police Service Commission on the frontline of the fight, impunity will continue to flourish within the police whether it be among its regular officers or within its specialized units and whether it be SARS or SWAT!!!
The group also pointed out that the judiciary and the Central Bank of Nigeria are as guilty as the other bodies and have failed to hold police accountable.
“The Judiciary’s power to make the police accountable has also been largely stifled. Judgments against police lawlessness and abuse are met by the charge that those judgments are unenforceable given that the Attorney General of the Federation has not consented to their enforcement. The Federal Attorney General, who ought to defend the rights of the Nigerian people and the rule of law, persistently declines to give consent to enforce judgments against the Police Force.
“Even the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) plays a major part too. It defends abusive institutions by litigating against judgment creditors when they seek access to banking accounts of those institutions, alongside looking the other way when banks collude with the Police to disguise their accounts and make it inaccessible to judgment creditors.
“In sum, until now, no one has been able to call the police force to account and curtail the excesses (and brigandage) of many members of the force. There has been, as it were, a huge multilateral, multi-sectoral “gang-up” by several actors to shield the police from justice and accountability, to deny the rights of victims of police abuse and injustice and to foster the culture of impunity as it steadily grew within the police force.
“Now, the Buhari government has a far greater scope of work to do in unhinging all the points of this interlocking chain of support for and complicity in police abuses. The government must offer a robust, deep, and credible plan for police reform, including strengthening the independence of the police force, well beyond the diplomacy of a few morsels of bread and sweeteners it is putting on the table,” the statement read.
For a documentary proposing big-picture diagnoses of social media’s effect on the world, The Social Dilemma barely takes the 1.2 billion people in Africa into consideration.
The 93-minute Netflix Original documentary dramatizes the backend of social media platforms as a dystopian neuroscience lab.
Among other things, it shows how digital juices are used to incite user engagement to auction advertisement space in real-time. We learn that when it comes to fighting temptation, not all digital safe locks are created equal (hello, Piggyvest!).
The film hammers Facebook for driving the deterioration of confidence in democracy around the world. But YouTube, Twitter, Google and Snapchat are not spared.
With the self-evolving algorithms they intentionally design for profit, these companies have transformed disinformation into an existential threat to modern civilization.
Social media platforms are under fire for stoking divisions around the world, including in Africa.
Radical change is urgently needed to stem the toxic tide, the film – which features several American technology experts and former senior staff at these companies – argues.
Two wrongs, two rights
Firstly, the core diagnosis is correct. Social media platforms can and have been channels for momentous diabolic acts that question the platforms’ supposed positive value.
Ethnic genocide in Myanmar and unresolved consequences of the Arab Spring in North Africa are two instances, among many.
The Social Dilemma suggests four solutions: an organisation to define truth on the internet; discourage big data collection with heavy taxes; campaign against algorithms that monitor and harvest big data at the individual level; abolish the platforms altogether.
Clearly, two and three are desirable and applicable in every country where these platforms operate. But recommending the arbitration of truth by some regulator, or blanket social media abolition unwittingly plays into the hands of totalitarians and pseudo-democracies already doing these things.
Somewhere in an African state house – I suspect Entebbe – a government adviser watched The Social Dilemma and leaped for joy.
Uganda’s Chinese internet
In March 2018, President Yoweri Museveni wrote a letter to his finance minister complaining that social media amplified “olugambo” in his beloved Uganda. The term loosely translates to gossip, a normal activity in every society.
But Museveni’s loyalists took the hint and broadened the definition. By July of that year, a law taxing over-the-top services went into effect.
The pretext? To control disinformation and prevent possible violence from WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and 57 other platforms. A $27 annual license fee for anyone broadcasting content online to the public – blogs, podcasts, video – is set to kick in soon.
Museveni turns 76 this week and was once heralded for his freedom-fighting against the authoritarian Idi Amin in the 1980s. Now in his 34th year as president, he jails anti-government voices.
Once the guerilla Marxist who believed in democratizing opportunity, he now shuts down the internet during elections to boost his chances every election cycle.
He often refers to China as Africa’s “genuine friends” in terms of the Asian giant’s contribution to infrastructure projects.
But this friendship may not be in favour of Africans when it comes to digital rights and privacy. According to an investigation in 2019, it appears Huawei employees helped the governments of Uganda and Zambia spy on citizens.
In that sense, the president’s clamp down on the internet resembles a push for a Ugandan version of the Chinese Great Firewall – a combination of political and tech policies to keep anti-government voices in check.
Africa needs Social Media, for now
The reality in Africa is that most countries do not yet have strong citizen-led structures for transparency and accountability.
Where possible, pressure groups practically depend on social media to side-step traditional media gatekeepers who often appear sympathetic to or allied with the government of the day.
In Nigeria, BudgIT emerged from a tech hackathon in 2011 to become the leading institution enlightening citizens on public finance. Twitter is their chief distribution and engagement platform.
Many forums with similar missions – #EndPoliceBrutality, #StandtoEndRape – also depend on the openness of social media to reach wide audiences quickly.
Twelve years ago, a brutal government crackdown in Cameroon was underreported and understated. But social media has heightened scrutiny on Paul Biya, the octogenarian now in his 38th year as president. No wonder he called it “a new form of terrorism” in 2016.
Prioritize intelligent, transparent redesign
Again, the virality features of social media have caused some harm on the continent.
It was apparent during the Ebola crisis when fake miracle cures were promoted, causing the deaths of otherwise healthy individuals. There were fears of an epidemic of disinformation when COVID-19 hit Africa in the first quarter of the year.
In this regard, Africa should be championing the two good solutions from The Social Dilemma. Governments and citizens should be at the fore of pushing for redesigning algorithms to put some value-neutral constraints on virality.
If online disinformation is the new obesity, then tech product designers and their marketers should be persuaded to provide clear labelling of their products. Obviously some secrets can be withheld to foster competition, but customers should clearly see the difference between water and blood.
Network platforms that rely on user-generated content and have potential to create virality should indeed be taxed per unit data they collect from individuals. It’s the equivalent of taxing factories that release potentially toxic waste into the environment.
But all of this has to be judged on specific definitions of the social media problem set. If The Social Dilemma encourages Museveni to justify a Facebook shut down because he dislikes gossip, how do you stop a president who hates being the butt of comedians’ jokes?
Our site uses cookies. By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you direct Law and Society Magazine to store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Statement: cookie policyACCEPTREJECT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
