The memory of the last year's end SARS protest remains fresh in my head, seeing videos and images of what went down at Lekki Toll gate moved me to shed tears earlier today and it is hard to get my mind off because of its mental impact on me. Already, I had a rough night because I couldn't make it home from the farm and my clothes were wet.
The end SARS experience was something else, I really couldn't figure why a simple protest became a problem all over Nigeria. It started as a simple protest, the protesters were infiltrated and it was hijacked by hoodlums staged by the government.
I remembered seeing a government plate vehicle coming to pick up hoodlums from a disrupted protest ground, all in the name of what?
Shutting the mouth of the youth, depriving them of the better Nigeria they are seeking, greed, selfishness, corruption, abuse of power and it remains a shock to see that the people up there have nothing left as conscience, all they have left is cruelty.
Parents were made barren, wives became widows, children became orphans, people were killed like animals by the people they trusted the governance of the country with.
What led to the protest?
The End SARS protest started as a result of the police brutality on the youths, the people who are meant to protect the citizen were killing the citizens. The journey of youths with great dreams were cut short by the SARS, a section in the Nigeria police that is meant to protect the citizen from robbers as their name implies Special Anti - Robbery Squad (SARS).
They left their job and went hunting down young boys and girls, wearing expensive clothes became a problem, you can't make your hair nice, having a tattoo makes you their target, driving a nice car is a problem. Even youth who made their fortune from cryptocurrency were tagged as criminals, a lot of lives were wasted.
The youth couldn't hold it and decided to make their intentions known through a protest because they weren't pleased with the ill treatment of the youths, they came out in smaller groups across the country and more people kept joining including celebrities.
The protest ground became their home since the government weren't paying attention, they saw everything but pretended that nothing was happening, they heard the cry of the people but acted like they are deaf.
The government took several measures to end the protest but the spirit of the youth were strong and wouldn't stop until their demands were met. They started by throwing police out there to abuse the protesters, they were packed in large numbers to God knows where.
They froze the bank account where donations came in to support the protesters with food but cryptocurrency came to the rescue and it is one of the reasons they banned it since they had no power over our digital wallet. They ban Twitter because it was the platform we had in reaching out to the world showing them how we are been abused and treated but VPN gave us an edge over the ban.
Every measure failed and on the 20th of October 2020, they made us know the true beast they were.
The youth made their stand at the Lekki toll gate, the protest went from just during the day to a 24hrs task. While they were exercising their civic right, the lights at the toll gate went off and the next thing was gunshot, bullets were flying in the air. Protesters were hit, some died while some had the chance to live but they were deprived of getting help as the soldiers mounted blocks preventing ambulances from reaching the scene.
I was in tears just like I am writing this now, I couldn't hold back tears seeing people killed fighting for what they deserved. It was a peaceful protest, these youths weren't armed and the soldiers opened fire.
Videos went viral, people stood their ground to show the world what was going on but nothing was done about it. The soldiers couldn't be traced, the barracks deny any involvement, the governor denied knowing anything about it, the president also did the same.
So where did the soldiers come from, who ordered the shooting?
The killings didn't stop that day, lives were lost even days after all because we wanted a better Nigeria.
As I speak, the police brutality hasn't ended. We are human, I wish these people could put themselves in the shoes of the parents of the youths that were killed but it is a useless wish, you can't expect a heartless person to feel the pain of others.
It clearly means nothing can be done to redeem the future of the country as long as we have the greedy and corrupt people up there, they have turned the government into an in-house thing and the people votes no longer matter.
Will Nigeria ever be saved?
At this point, I think only God can take the country out of slavery. These wicked people are ready to take down anyone who serves as an obstruction to their selfish desires, I pray that the souls of the people who lost their lives during the fighting for freedom rest in perfect peace, and their sacrifices will never be in vain.
Amen...
The image was created by me using Canva App
When I read your words here, I am so heartbroken for you. I feel your love for your country the way I feel for mine. I feel as though being in Africa gives you this type of African soul that makes you both hate and love your country so much - yet it is not the country we hate, it is the "leaders", the power hungry thugs. I am so sorry for those innocent people who died. I only wish there was a way for the people to overthrow the government so that the good people could run the country and begin to build it up. I wish you all safety and hope and pray that things will get better for you.