With the trauma of the shootings that ended the last spate of #EndSARS protests still fresh in Nigeria’s collective memory, Nigeria’s youth increase call to begin a new wave of protests. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Government is still foot-dragging on the issue of bringing the perpetrators of the Lekki shootings to book, while on the streets police and army brutality continue unabated.
The last protest was met with state-sanctioned violence in Abuja, where protesters were water-hosed and beaten – many were also arrested. A similar occurrence in Lagos has left many still in custody as they await trial, while dozens of protesters still have their accounts frozen by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It makes sense, therefore, to wonder if the protests can get a foothold once more the way it did in October. And maybe the Nigerian government is banking on this.
Major convention spots from the last protest are reportedly occupied by police and army personnel stationed, likely to keep people off those spots, but perhaps to simply maintain order.
If the former, it shows that the Nigerian government had not learnt from the gross mistakes of October 2020. Determined protesters are already convening across Lagos and Abuja with the powerful message that ‘It is a marathon, not a sprint.’
The Federal Government’s position on the matter is not hidden, just last week the Minister of Culture and Information, Lai Muhammad, had said that “Nothing will stop the government from probing #EndSARS protesters and bringing them to book.” The same has not been said about erring officers that extorted, maimed, and killed hundreds of Nigerians to the point that Nigerians could not take it anymore.
It is unclear if the government is intentionally doing everything but the things that #EndSARS is demanding for. It could just be a matter of incompetence on the government’s part. But it can also be callousness. Whatever it is, the government may have just found a formidable match in Nigeria’s long-suffering youth.
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