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General News of Tuesday, 20 October 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

#EndSARSProtest: The good, the bad, the ugly

File photo: #EndSARS protestors File photo: #EndSARS protestors

Just over two weeks after the #EndSARS protests hit various states in Nigeria and some selected cities across the globe, the topic has been the most trending issue on social media platforms.

The protest is the voice of the masses who are fighting against battery, harassment, extortion, and in some cases extra-judicial killings by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Prior to it been dissolved on Sunday, October 11, 2020, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was a Nigerian Police Force unit created in 1992 to deal with crimes related to robbery, motor vehicle theft, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and firearms.

However, the now-defunct unit abused their powers leading to mass agitation and uproar in the country.

Despite this, the ongoing protest has made some less-privileged Nigerians instant millionaires, meanwhile, a section of the public who are victims of SARS will have to deal with the pain of losing a loved one.

In this article, we highlight the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the ongoing protest.

The Good

Nigerians are a sign that using social media as a tool to promote consistent advocacy of social issues can inspire change. The protest across the majority of the states shared via social media has drawn attention from very influential people across the world. These influential people are also using their resources to support the continuity of the protests.

On October 11, 2020, after fierce protests, the Nigerian government and Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, dissolved the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

They however put in its place a Special Weapons and Tactics team called SWAT to fill the gaps, and Nigerians are having none of it, as they claim it was a rebranded version of the SARS team.

Nigerian firms and start-ups donating millions in support of protests is another notably remarkable act during the protest. A fundraiser kicked off by Flutterwave Inc. for the victims of the #EndSARS, gathered N100,000 for the Abuja Protests, N90,000 for medical supplies for the Port Harcourt protest, N2million for the hospital bills of Miss Joy, a victim of the protest who was hospitalized, and N1million to the family of Jimoh Isiaka, who lost his life as a result of the peaceful protest.

Other companies like Chicken Inn and Lifebuoy provided free meals for protestors, and freehand sanitizers respectively.

The Bad

The ongoing protest has put many economic activities on hold as it is time-consuming, but the people will rather protest for justice and fairness than to continue to live their lives in fear of SARS officials.

The silence of the African Union as the 'mother union' of all African States, as well as the United Nations (UN), has given some people the idea that such international organizations are selective when it comes to social issues to address and help find solutions to.

Check the tweet below:



The Ugly

Many people have lost their lives during the protests. Videos circulating on social media showed how innocent Nigerians were being tortured and killed by SARS officials and thugs allegedly sent by politicians for protesting peacefully.

Watch the video below of names of people who lost their lives during the protests being mentioned



The agitated protestors also burnt down police stations in some states. An example is the Ugbekun police station burned down by End SARS protesters in Benin city.

The ugliest was the Nigerian government's clear display of insensitivity to the plight of the masses. The response of the government during the early stages of the protest was as slow as a tortoise in a race. President Muhammadu Buhari was spotted performing other official duties and saying not a word to the protestors. Later they saw Nigerians were not backing down in their fight, and the protests were 'blowing out of proportion' so they put in their best PR work.

@joeycrazype0ple, a Nigerian social media user tweeted: "Let it be remembered that on the day when police were shooting at Nigerians, Buhari was commissioning popular tricycle, Keke Napeps, bicycles and groundnut oil."

View the tweet below: