#EndSARS: A spectre of abuses, bad leadership still haunting four years after

The #EndSARS protest of October 2020 marked a watershed in citizens’ craving for good governance and an end to rights abuse. But the handling of the aftermath by the Federal Government and states to ensure redress and justice for victims of police brutality across the country leaves much to be desired as nothing on the horizon indicates a paradigm shift. With the ghost of the protest not given a befitting burial four years into the exercise that ended in a bloodbath, ominous signs of a recurrence abound and can be gleaned from the swelling push for more protests in the polity, BERTRAM NWANNEKANMA, ENIOLA DANIEL, ALBERT UBA, ROTIMI AGBOLUAJE, and TINA TODO report.

Perhaps, one of the derivable positives from the October 2020 nationwide protests against the now-dissolved Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a notorious arm of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), is the rise in citizens’ consciousness towards good governance and against brutality, repression, and sundry bestial treatment.

Before now, citizens’ participation in governance had been at the lowest ebb, especially among the youthful population, and the political class mistook their forbearance for cowardice, but their experience from the #EndSARS protests revealed the sheer power of unity in demanding positive changes no matter the perceived difficulties.

Initially focused on calling the government’s attention to the rogue tendencies displayed by the infamous unit of the police, the protests metamorphosed into agitations for improved governance, in addition to justice for victims of police brutality.

By the time the dust of the 2020 #EndSARS protests, which climaxed at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020, settled, 51 civilians, 11 police officers, and seven soldiers had reportedly lost their lives, while scores of protesters were detained.

Also, 205 police stations were gutted across the country, while 71 public warehouses and 248 private stores were allegedly looted in 13 states and the FCT. The states are Lagos, Edo, Delta, Oyo, Kano, Plateau, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Rivers, Abia, Imo, and Ekiti states, as well as FCT.

Consequently, the Presidency, which had taken up a stern and insensitive posture before yielding to some of the demands of the youths, set up a judicial panel of inquiry to investigate cases of police brutality, extortion, maiming, and extrajudicial killings, among others. It also directed states to do so.

Following the order, 28 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) complied, while Yobe, Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara failed to do so. Over 2,500 petitions were submitted to the panels nationwide.

In the wake of the submission of the reports of the judicial panels, the Federal Government said that the National Economic Council (NEC) would review the implementation strategy for the reports of the panels.

Former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, while chairing a virtual NEC meeting said that the council received reports from some state judicial panels and was awaiting more reports from other states so that it could commence the review and implementation of the reports.

Osinbajo thereafter encouraged states that were yet to complete the panel’s work to send in interim reports, in a bid to comprehensively review implementation strategies for the recommendations from the different panels.

For victims, injustice still thrives
SADLY, after all the rigmarole and attendant fuss, not much was achieved in this direction, as reflected in the failure of many victims to get retributive justice, as well as, a failure of the police operatives to depart from their iniquitous ways.

In fact, in October 2022, one year after the NEC chaired by Osinbajo directed states to pay compensation to the victims of police brutality, many states blatantly failed to comply with the directive, with only a few states including Lagos, Osun, Ekiti and the Federal Capital Territory partly complying with the NEC resolution.

The Lagos State government initially paid out N420m, while Osun State under the leadership of former governor Gboyega Oyetola, paid out N53.2m to 13 victims, and Ekiti State government disbursed N21.25m to victims.

After its panel wrapped up proceedings, the Akwa Ibom State government said that it was not its responsibility to compensate the victims, but that of the Federal Government.

The state government had then stressed that states had a responsibility to conduct the hearings and send the reports to the Federal Government.

Akwa Ibom State’s position was shared by Benue State, which stated that it was “not supposed to compensate the victims because the protests were as a result of atrocities committed by the Nigeria Police.”

While the Oyo State government said that it had approved N500 million as compensation to victims of police brutality and injustice, a top source in the last administration in Anambra State said the government was still studying the report of the panel, which was submitted on March 15, 2022.

Doubtless, the avalanche of shenanigans that have played out in the wake of the reports’ submission has not only riled aggrieved youths but has further galvanised a looming image of a political elite that is insensitive to the plight of the led, as well as, a government that is not desirous of putting a closure to a vexed issue.

Matters are not helped by the continuous illegal detention of some of the protesters despite calls for their immediate release by civil society organizations and public-spirited individuals.

The consequences of this bungled opportunity have found expression in renewed agitations for a showdown with the government as reflected in the litany of held, and planned protests across the country, which include #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest, and the “Fearless in October” protest packaged by organisers of the #EndBadGovernance, as well as many other smouldering episodes that could snowball into large conflagrations, if not well managed.

Concerned by the likely consequences of the Federal Government’s seeming insensitive posture towards finding a lasting solution to the intractable police brutality, extra-judicial killings, extortion, and poor governance, the United States last January urged the Federal Government to implement the reports of the various #EndSARS panels set up to investigate human rights abuses by security agencies during the #EndSARS protests in 2020.

The call was made at the United Nations Human Rights Council’s 4th Cycle Universal Period Review of Nigeria in Geneva, Switzerland.

Addressing some human rights concerns in Nigeria, a female representative of the U.S. government specifically asked the Federal Government to, among other things, initiate steps aimed at implementing the reports.

She said: “Our main concern is on certain restrictions on Nigerians on the enjoyment of human rights. In the spirit of constructive engagement, we recommend that Nigeria implements recommendations from state-level investigations panel reports on security forces’ response to the #EndSARS protests, including prosecution as appropriate of the individual implicated in the reports.

“Amend the Nigerian Press Act of 1992 to remove the restriction on the freedom of expression specifically as it applies to online and citizen journalists. End the arbitrary arrest and prosecution of LGBT persons and amend the armed forces standard operating procedure to ensure the protection of human rights and fundamental freedom of all Nigerians.”

Apart from the reported disbursement of N100 million to the #End Special Anti-Robbery Squad (#EndSARS) leaders by the Lagos State government after much dilly-dallying, recent developments subtly point at the likelihood of re-occurrence of similar protests.

Counting cost of #EndSARS protests in states as scars remain evergreen
ACROSS the country, it is not only government property that bore the brunt of the protests. Hundreds of thousands of small and big business owners are still gnashing their teeth after hoodlums that infiltrated the protests wreaked havoc on their businesses carting away, or destroying wares worth billions on naira.

In Cross River State, for instance, the Cross River Basin Authority took a heavy hit, same as the Ministry of Works Complex; Tinapa Lake Side Hotel and warehouses; the Calabar International Conference Centre (CICC); the University of Calabar (UNICAL) Hotel; the Nigerian Television Authority; Cross River State Newspaper Corporation (publishers of The Nigerian Chronicle); Value Mart owned by the wife of former governor of the state, Mrs Obioma Liyel Imoke; residences of former Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, and Senator Gershom Bassey.

Apart from the destruction of buildings, operational vehicles and ambulances, the vandalisation of office premises and the looting of office equipment, the looting of private businesses in Calabar South and Calabar Municipal Council has worsened the unemployment situation in the state, with hundreds of affected business owners in the labour market presently.

Indeed, most of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as local councils affected by the looting spree are yet to return to their original offices and councils. Some of such are Bakassi and Akpabuyo local councils, both of which temporarily relocated to Calabar Municipal Council in September 2023.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Global Communication, a telecommunication outfit, Uchenna Onyeador, who lost goods worth over N4 million took a loan to re-stock his business after a government delegation visited him and failed to keep to its promise after two years.

In Lagos State, after Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, visited some of the destroyed property in parts of the state, he said that the state may require over N1 trillion to rebuild public and private property destroyed by hoodlums in the wake of the protests.

Apart from 25 police station that were torched by the hoodlums, other public structures that were razed include The Nation Newspaper; TVC; and Shoprite, Lekki stations; Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Council Secretariat; Palace of the Oba of Lagos; Lagos High Court, Igbosere; Oyingbo BRT terminus; Ojodu Berger BRT terminus; Vehicle Inspection Office, Ojodu Berger; Lagos State Public Works Corporation, Ojodu Berger; Lagos City Hall and Circle Mall, Lekki; numerous luxury shops in Surulere.

The state Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, in a breakdown informed that 27 of the destroyed BRT vehicles cost $200,000 each, while 57 of them cost $100,000 each, all totalling about N3.9 billion.

Government impervious to sad lessons of protests
THUS far, the fact that only very few states have found it expedient to implement reports of the #EndSARS protests speaks volumes of the extent, to which governments at various levels take the citizenry for a ride.

Also, despite commitments by the Police High Command to self-purge and evolve a people-friendly police force, there are no concrete indicators that such has happened as most of its operatives are still as brutal, corrupt, inept and largely unprofessional in their relationship with many Nigerians.

Added to this, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government has also demonstrated its unpreparedness to cut the cost of governance; end widespread corruption in government; eschew nepotism; fight multi-dimensional poverty; do away with maladministration, and end, the mindless killing of Nigerians by state and non-state actors.

Legal practitioner and human rights activist, Malachy Ugwummadu, who described the protest as a watershed in the nation’s history, emphasised that there cannot be justice amid the killing of innocent citizens.

According to the former President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), even though the Nigerian state was brought to its knees to the point of acknowledging and appreciating the iniquities of its organs, and agents, given the magnitude and the gravity of what happened, it has failed to show enough empathy to victims, and the led in general.

“If we still see incidents of police brutality, extrajudicial killings, and generally violent behaviour towards citizens, perhaps not with the brazen impunity with which it happened before, then we all have to agree that it is not yet Uhuru.

“Law enforcement agencies need to be civil and humane in their dealing with citizens because it was the kind of violent behaviour that they put up when relating with citizens that made some Nigerians call for psychiatric evaluation of police operatives.”

While calling for a display of minimum, irreducible standards of behaviour from cops, in line with the duties that they bear under the Police Act 2020, Ugwummadu stressed that the dust hasn’t quite settled concerning the demands of the protesters because “the government did not meet all, not most of them. It is one thing to just show interest, douse the tension, and distract the people. But I will conclude by saying that the government must do far more than it is doing at the moment because there is nothing in the horizon that shows that the protest cannot happen again, after all.”

If Ugwummadu sees hope regarding the Nigeria Police turning a new leaf, the National Coordinator of Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, shares no such optimism as, according to him, police brutality has heightened in the country after #EndSARS protests.

According to him: “There is a fairly credible claim that hasn’t been sufficiently debunked that over 350 Igbo youths are allegedly still being held arbitrarily in secret facilities across Nigeria almost four years after the violent suppression of the nationwide #EndSARS protests against police brutality.”

He stressed that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a pro-Biafra mass movement, led by the detained Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, which made this startling allegation, said that many detained Igbo youths were among other protesters arrested in 2020.

Onwubiko, who alleged that a lot of arbitrary arrests, and illegal, prolonged detentions characterised the protests, added that it is so sad that there hasn’t been any significant improvement in respect for the human rights of the citizens by security forces, especially the Nigeria Police Force, whose illegal and brutal violations of human rights of citizens led to the October 2020 nationwide protests.

“Only recently, Amnesty International (AI) lauded the discharge and acquittal of Sunday Okoro, Olumide Fatai, and Oluwole Isa, who were detained at the Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre, Lagos State for participating in the #EndSARS protests. The group, however, was alarmed that 12 peaceful protesters were still being held in the Kirikiri Custodial Centre.

“To explain that the human rights protection policy in Nigeria is not being adhered to by the police, all that we need to look at is how the police handled the #Endbadgovernance protests that happened in August 2024, and the ‘Fearless In October’ protests, in which the police killed at least 40 peaceful protesters, and many young protesters were hauled into detention camps of the police and the DSS with 10 of them charged for treason, at the Federal High Court just for participating in peaceful protests,” he said.

Sustaining routine protests would cure government of insensitivity, engender genuine reforms
JOSEPH Opute, a public interest lawyer insists that since nothing has significantly changed between 2020 when the protest took place and now, Nigerians should gird their loins and be ready for sustained agitation.

“We continue to have police officers harass Nigerians, extort them daily, and there are still pockets of extrajudicial killings in the country. So, Nigerians need to be more cohesive in forming alliances around civil society movements to ensure a just enthronement that will guarantee and ensure that policing in Nigeria is done according to best practices, and civil society organisations should do more by bringing public interest litigation against the Nigeria Police Force.

“As we speak, four years after, we are back to the same place that we used to be. The court has also not been helpful because they are delivering judgments that do not make an example of bad policing. The Nigeria Police Force is getting away with infringement on the rights of Nigerians and we are not seeing the court do much. As of today, Nigeria is one of the worst countries to live in terms of human rights abuses and the fact that nothing seems to work. So, Nigerians must come together and let’s ask ourselves if we can bequeath this kind of country to our children,” he stated. Asked if fresh protests could break out as a result of unmet demands, Opute said: “There have never been tactical resolutions on any of the issues that got Nigerians agitated in the last 10 years. So, the only way that Nigerians can hold this government accountable is to consistently sustain protests whether the government wants to listen or not. People in the government are not making sacrifices. So, weekly protests are needed to draw attention to the abnormality in the country.”

On his part, the Executive Director of Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma said that the #EndSARS protests constituted an eye opener to the insensitivity of the government towards the citizenry and police untamed excesses towards the people.

He, therefore, called for a holistic police reform, stressing that the government’s promises to right the wrongs were more or less a subterfuge, hence the dire need to evolve people-friendly policies.

“The #EndSARS protests emerged as a reaction to systemic police violence, particularly highlighted by tragic incidents where police officers robbed and murdered young citizens. The government’s promises of police reform and justice were largely undermined by cover-ups and minimal compensation for victims, with no accountability for perpetrators.

“The disbandment of the SARS unit did not eliminate police brutality, as other units continued similar patterns of abuse, including extortion, torture, and extrajudicial killings. So, the government must demonstrate commitment to genuine reforms, including depoliticising the police; improving leadership selection; ensuring the provision of adequate resources, better training, and strengthening accountability mechanisms.

“The government must also heed past recommendations for police reform, including those from various committees over the years, and ensure the effective implementation of the Police Act 2020.”

Another rights activist, Mr Emmanuel Ikule, who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of  Elixir Trust Foundation, said that despite the call for accountability, human right is still a scarce commodity as observed during the second protest in 2022 (#EndSARS Memorial) where many persons were brutalised, packed in trucks like sardines, despite COVID-19, tortured and detained, while some protesters are still in detention centres till date, and the post #EndSARS protest showed that some of those protesters are still languishing in police custody, with attacks on citizens by security agencies unabating.

Ikule expressed happiness that one of the gains of the protest is the fact that the culture of human rights abuse has gained national recognition, which has enabled the government to be more responsive despite its unlawful nature.

According to him, more people can now stand up for their rights, as against what was the case before #EndSARS protest.

Ikule listed other gains of the protests to include the passage of the Police Act 2020, the formation of the Board of Nigerian Police Trust Fund (NPTF 2019), public Hearing on Police Service Commission Act 2020, the establishment Act of Police Training Institute, the compilation of all police reform reports in Nigeria, formation of the Board of Trustees of the NHRC.

Others, he said, are the formation of Judicial Panel of Inquiry, release of protesters without bail, decongestion of correctional centres, an increase of the Passage of VAPP Act, Anti-Torture Act & ACJA in some states to curb impunity etc, the passage of compulsory treatment and care of gunshot victim in some states.

Also, the passage of Electoral Act 2022; training of police operatives by state and non-state actors, the appointment of IGP (S), increase in the discipline of erring officers and the activation of the Police Complaint Response Unit (P-CRU) among others.