An Encounter I'll Never Forget
prepmanagementinc • February 13, 2021
I was about 13 years old in Nigeria with my family at the time. It was myself, my two siblings, my mother and my Grandmother. I remember coming from Ijebu Ode and it getting dark while we were still on the highway — something I dreaded because of how dark the roads got.
Growing up in Brooklyn, even at night streets seemed extremely well lit compared to Nigeria which felt super rural and technologically limited to me. It’s funny to think about, but even at that age I already fully understood the wealth disparity between the countries at this point. I also came to contextualize why my parents worked so hard to build their business in America: to bring it all back to Nigeria to help provide infrastructure to their family back home.
Growing up in Brooklyn, even at night streets seemed extremely well lit compared to Nigeria which felt super rural and technologically limited to me. It’s funny to think about, but even at that age I already fully understood the wealth disparity between the countries at this point. I also came to contextualize why my parents worked so hard to build their business in America: to bring it all back to Nigeria to help provide infrastructure to their family back home.
In any case, as we drove I looked outside to the black of the night with an ominous feeling. In a second, we heard sirens, our car was pulled over and we were approached by fully armed police officers with AK47s in hand screaming orders. Bewildered, I looked around at the officers and mom as they went back and forth in a heated exchange. And in another moment: everything was over. The cops walked away. We were able to drive away safely. No one was harmed. No one was killed.
When I asked my mom what happened, she told me that those were simply corrupt police officers, but locally we were close enough to where we lived that the group had heard of my grandmother who was pretty involved in the Lagos community as a whole. And once I heard that explanation, I became completely unnerved by a single question:
What if we didn’t have my grandmother to lean on in that moment: what happens to my family and I?
This reality is not one unique to my life or my family’s — countless Nigerians have been placed in this embarrassing scenario and even more have been less fortunate than my family and I in the outcome. If you’re from Nigeria then you’re well aware of the damage corrupt armed forces have delivered to our people.
Thousands of Nigerians have been killed at the hands of SARs and our nation’s police force for no reason other than a selfish & corrupt view of power. And on October 20th, 2020 the Nigerian Government put its corruption on the world stage with what is now known as the “Lekki Massacre”.
When I asked my mom what happened, she told me that those were simply corrupt police officers, but locally we were close enough to where we lived that the group had heard of my grandmother who was pretty involved in the Lagos community as a whole. And once I heard that explanation, I became completely unnerved by a single question:
What if we didn’t have my grandmother to lean on in that moment: what happens to my family and I?
This reality is not one unique to my life or my family’s — countless Nigerians have been placed in this embarrassing scenario and even more have been less fortunate than my family and I in the outcome. If you’re from Nigeria then you’re well aware of the damage corrupt armed forces have delivered to our people.
Thousands of Nigerians have been killed at the hands of SARs and our nation’s police force for no reason other than a selfish & corrupt view of power. And on October 20th, 2020 the Nigerian Government put its corruption on the world stage with what is now known as the “Lekki Massacre”.
What Is SARs?
SARs stands for “Special Anti-Robbery Squad”. It is a special branch of the Nigerian Police Force created in 1992 to deal with crimes associated with robbery and firearms. The group quickly gained notoriety for its corrupt activities including extrajudicial killings, robberies, torture and other illegal activities.
Amnesty International, an international human rights organization based in the UK, has been one of the biggest detractors of the SARs organization. In June of 2020, the nonprofit released a report suggesting that SARS officers have continued to commit human rights violations, including at least 82 cases of torture, ill-treatment and extrajudicial execution between January 2017 and May 2020.
On Saturday 3 October 2020, a video showing a SARS police officer shoot a young Nigeriani front of Wetland Hotel, Ughelli, Delta State went viral and sparked the social conversation we are now having across the world.
Amnesty International, an international human rights organization based in the UK, has been one of the biggest detractors of the SARs organization. In June of 2020, the nonprofit released a report suggesting that SARS officers have continued to commit human rights violations, including at least 82 cases of torture, ill-treatment and extrajudicial execution between January 2017 and May 2020.
On Saturday 3 October 2020, a video showing a SARS police officer shoot a young Nigeriani front of Wetland Hotel, Ughelli, Delta State went viral and sparked the social conversation we are now having across the world.
What This Means For Nigeria?
For the Nigerian community, this is just another chapter in a sad story of injustice against the Nigerian citizenry, but to the world watching in disbelief, many are asking for accountability. “Who gave the order?” Is the question on everyone’s mind. **Operation Crocodile Smile**, the Nigerian Army’s latest military operation is supposed to be directed at both physical and cyberwar tactics against Boko Haram, but many believe that #EndSARS protests were a part of the strategy as well.
According to TheCable.NG, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, the centre of the executions, has denied culpability for the order saying that the order came from above his jurisdiction. Many speculate that President Buhari is the one who sent the order specifically because he is the only person in the nation with absolute military power. Whether or not the president or governor is behind these senseless acts of violence against peaceful protestors is beyond our scope of knowledge, however one thing is certain: the Nigerian government is unfit to effectively govern a people in 2020.
As a result, not only are Nigerians both naturalized and abroad, but also people across the world are speaking out against the injustice in the country, spreading awareness and calling for the Nigerian government to be held accountable. Nigerian government is spearheading state sanctioned genocide a this point and must be stopped at all costs.
According to TheCable.NG, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, the centre of the executions, has denied culpability for the order saying that the order came from above his jurisdiction. Many speculate that President Buhari is the one who sent the order specifically because he is the only person in the nation with absolute military power. Whether or not the president or governor is behind these senseless acts of violence against peaceful protestors is beyond our scope of knowledge, however one thing is certain: the Nigerian government is unfit to effectively govern a people in 2020.
As a result, not only are Nigerians both naturalized and abroad, but also people across the world are speaking out against the injustice in the country, spreading awareness and calling for the Nigerian government to be held accountable. Nigerian government is spearheading state sanctioned genocide a this point and must be stopped at all costs.
What You Can Do To Help!
The organization that is leading the mobilization effort to #EndSARs as of now is the
Feminist Coalition 2020
.
Reference Links
- Lekki massacre: Who gave the order? | TheCable
- #EndSARS: Nigerian army says ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ not targeted at protesters | Nairametrics
- ‘Nigerian government are killers’ – Manchester United’s Ighalo condemns Lekki Massacre | Goal.com
- Nigeria: What is SARS and why are people protesting against police? | The Independent
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