The more I try to resist the urge to comment on the #EndSars Campaign, the more my conscience pushes me to. So, I succumb to my conscience.
Every Nigerian whether home or abroad knows for real that our dear country has been plagued into security crisis for quite sometime, a situation that continue to degenerate, puting the lives and property of innocent citizens in danger. Like the Roads Marshalls would say, "Accidents do not just happen, they are caused". The alarming security situation in Nigeria didn't appear from the thin air. It has its roots deeply traced to a number of factors which I believe we are very much in the know.
No sensitive government sit back and watch any life, peace and progress threatening action/event, however malignant thrive unchecked. This is so, considering that providing security and ensuring the well-being of citizens forms the basic and most significant responsibility of government. It is in view of this that the Nigerian Police Force and other Security Agencies were established. Given rise to critical security issues in the land and their attendant consequences of causing untold pains and panic leading to socioeconomic sabotage, the Special Anti Robbery Squad Unit was formed.
We are living witnesses to the excesses of SARS, an unfortunate action that truly calls for concern and positive action (Excesses, I must say are not only peculiar to SARS or the Police but virtually all aspects of our private and public engagement). Notwithstanding, the number of successes recorded by SARS in their bid to curb crime are way beyond words. The best thing to do would have being to reform the unit so it serves Nigerians better. Now that, in response to many calls, the Inspector General of Police has dissolved it, and has directed that all its personnel report to Defense Headquarters for examination and investigation, a good step in the right direction, those at the streets should leave, more so because their conditions on non use of force and release of arrested protesters have been met. Their refusal to leave, even after the disbandment coupled with the dimensions the protest is taking naturally calls to mind, suspicion of ulterior motive(s).
The way SWAT was vehemently rejected by same protesters without recourse to the ultimate need to combat crime and government's commitment for reform says a lot. My advice to those at the streets is to enquire deeply the real rationale that informed the protest. They may realize they are being used to serve some questionable goals.
That said, lessons abound to government, the Police and the people. Respect for human dignity must be upheld by security personnel in the course of discharging their duties. Had the Agency and government responded to the many calls, we wouldn't have been here by now. As the saying goes, it is better off late than never. Let's honestly resolve to take necessary actions inorder to avoid the unexpected.
No society, the world over, has been totally crime free. Responsible governments therefore, continue to adopt measures to arrest crime. Trust between citizens and government is however, essential and is often realized where passionate concern towards their plight is evident from the side of government. In view of the foregoing, government more strategic commitment must be channeled at dealing with kidnapping, banditry, drugs abuse, rape, cybercrime, unemployment, prolong Asuu strike and more.
People calling for revolution should refer to Egypt, Libya, Iraq etc. Those countries have come out worse than they were before the revolution. There is more to overthrowing government.
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