Hell was let loose in Nigeria on October 20, 2020, when the Nigerian military unleashed its firepower upon Nigerian youths, killing more than 40 of them. The young people had been conducting largely peaceful protests for a couple of weeks to agitate for the following reforms:
E – Educational and economic reform N – National constitutional amendment D – Decentralize police S – Security reform A – Anti-democratic policy reform R – Restructure Nigeria now S – Save cost of government
Although the acronym and hashtag “ENDSARS” had the immediate objective of ending police brutality by the government’s SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) unit of the federal government of President Muhammad Buhari, the overall goal of the protesters was much larger, as indicated by the seven points above.
Ironically, Nigeria’s president did “end SARS” on October 11, but he then basically renamed the unit with little discernible change in its tactics. The young people of Nigeria saw through the charade and continued to demonstrate for change.
In the light of the pattern of police brutality at the government’s behest, what Nigeria went through in the second and third weeks of October 2020 was not unexpected. Yet the federal overreaction to the mostly peaceful protests constituted the height of unintended consequences, engulfing the nation in large-scale collateral damages and avoidable calamities. It would now suffice to ask the question “What actually went wrong?”
To the credit of the Nigerian youths, in early October they organized a meaningful protest as could be seen from the seven goals of ENDSARS, which was heard by the populace and the various levels of government, including the federal government of Nigeria, as the protest group’s main message.
Of course, END SARS was a popular clarion cry. The brutality of the SARS unit had no justification. Yet the cry also served the cause of the lawless in a society clamoring for law and order. This, therefore, is the big dilemma: On the one hand, can any sensible government condone lawlessness? On the other hand, can any decent and law-abiding people endure unbridled police brutality in the name of law enforcement?
I’m reminded of a maxim in the Bible as penned by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, his young protege: But we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully; knowing this, that the law is not made for the righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust (I Timothy 1:8–10).
We can safely assign this Pauline task to our law enforcers, everywhere around the world. However, the Bible is not silent about lawmakers and law enforcers who become drunk with power and misuse the law. Scripture asks this question:
“Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, have fellowship with You? They gather together against the life of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood” (Psalm 94:20–21). The Bible has this to add: “If a leader listens to lies, all his officials will become brutal (Proverbs 29:12).
We should have realized that young people become easily vulnerable and victimized when they get frustrated. They often mistake their unlimited reservoirs of energies for strength and therefore consider themselves invincible. They sometimes underestimate and miscalculate the arsenals of the government, such as the armed police, the militarized artilleries, imprisonments, and the viciousness of some politicians, who were themselves Nigerian youths not so long ago. These had been the weaponries against students and youths since the 1970s when students’ agitations began to surface in Nigeria. It has scarcely abated the past half-century.
Laudable credits of the youthful protesters
When it was time to count their losses, the youth leaders who organized and masterminded ENDSARS justifiably ascribed some credits to themselves, such as: 12 days without vandalism 12 days of caring and looking out for each other, 12 days of rejecting bribe, 12 days of giving free medical care and legal services, National and international supports, Religious tolerance and Candle-light service all over Nigeria for fallen heroes
In a message posted on WhatsApp a few days after the Nigerian protest was violently crushed, the organizers believed they had not failed in their mission. They came out with a five-point declaration: Get devices that can record conversations; add new contacts to your social-media handle; get your voter card ready; do not give up; and finally, do not let them sell tribal or religious sentiments to you.
They consider the following to be their intrinsic strength: They are young, they are strong, they are smart, they are 20 steps ahead of their opponents. They call for new strategies for the 2023 elections: no PDP (People’s Democratic Party), no APC (All Progressive Congress), no recycling of past or present leaders. One of them posted: “No one above 50 years of age should be considered for any political office!” Two hashtags became their battle cries or slogans: “#Endsars, #EndBadGovernance.”
What is the future of ENDSARS?
ENDSARS cannot go away easily or die a natural death anytime soon. The aftermath of the protest will be with us for a long time to come because of the unintended evil outcomes of the violence—on both sides of the ledger. The youths may consider themselves invincible, yet, like the overreacting government authorities and police, they are answerable for their wrongdoing.
Violence may be a common response when young people experience social, economic, and psychological burdens. Unfortunately, authorities do not always have appropriate or adequate responses to youth violence. The problem is compounded when governmental or institutional violence is employed to counter or quell youthful ephemeral violence. The problem and frustration which result could be difficult to manage.
So, having spent the past two decades to promote youth peace and nation building in Nigeria, our organization would like to use this occasion to advocate for dialog between the youths and the governments. May God grant the young people wisdom as they discern their next steps, and may the government also exercise restraint as it responds to the idealism of youth.
A strong dose of humility is needed among all parties in Nigeria. The prophet Micah said it well (Micah 6:8): “What does the Lord require of you? Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”
- Rev. Dr. Titus K. Oyeyemi is the Founding President and CEO African Projects/Foundation for Peace and Love Initiatives (titusoye71@gmail.com, 17086479880, 2348038071447)