It all started unassumingly as a call for reformation and then an end of a Police Unit - SARS “Special Anti Robbery Squad" which has become a safe haven for legitimised robbery, murder and a nightmare of all sorts of despicable human rights violation.
It is quite interesting that this collision began with the educated as the protests were engineered as a result of widespread consensus on the social media app, Twitter.
Those who trooped out in protest to the Lekki Toll Gate were mostly youths and largely educated: having at least Secondary School Leaving Certificate. Quite a number could boast of undergraduate and graduate degrees. This of course, reflected in the organisation of the protest and the presentation of the petition. For a protest, it was indeed unbelievably organised and well structured. This approach was truly unique and dumbfounding for the bloodthirsty powers that be.
Those gathered went beyond protest. They ate, slept, honoured the innocent souls murdered untimely by SARS and even partied. The most unique aspect of this protest is that they had no visible leader.
Friction emanated as the powers that be kept asking for representatives and leaders. The determined educated youths insisted they were unanimous in their agenda for resolution and beyond money-bag negotiation or leader-murder that could force them to chicken out of their stoic demand.
In electing the hash tag #SOROSOKE meaning #SPEAKOUT they proved that they had one unanimous voice to speak out against #ENDSARS. This protest was indeed different.
The protest woke and kept those at the helm of affairs from their slumber and on their toes, forcing the powers behind the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that the 5-point demand were met.
Following the gradual implementation of these demands, these relentless youths went further to release a comprehensive 7-point demand which now cut across major sectors of our decaying commonwealth. Mounting further pressure on government, these youths went all out to show that in truth, knowledge is power.
They were gaining ground and encouraging protesters not to give up. The heat was on and members of the cabal seems to have reached an unprecedented level of unease. No one knew what would happen next as once called lazy Nigerian youths were not lazying around or backing down. #SOROSOKE #ENDSARS had gained international attention with Twitter boss creating an emoji in support of the movement to end bad governance along with the anti robbery squad which had become anything but special. Mrs. Hillary Clinton added her voice too. The activists’ Nigerian youths were on world news.
On the night of Tuesday, 20.October.2020, the unimaginable happened! Men of the armed forces came with war-type armoury to the location of the protest at about 7PM. Before those gathered could figure out their mission, bullet rain came down heavily on innocent Nigerians exercising their civil rights in open lawful space in a democratic dispensation with flag in hand echoing the song of compatriots!
Who authorised the mindless shooting at unarmed protesters carrying the national flag and singing the national anthem! Who signed off on the death of Nigeria youths! Hearts were shattered. Homes were broken. Our homeland bled. It was only days ahead that Dr. Omolola Omoteso posted on her facebook page: “Nigeria is in PAINS!” It was only hours before she posted a video on her youtube page Anne Cares, where she warned that if we made the protest about SARS only, we would soon be on the streets again! How prophetic.
The killing of unarmed innocent souls was indeed a trigger for the showers of violence and carnage of attacks on the pinpointed instigator of war on Nigerian youths! Sadly, the innocent ones were not spared in the looting and destruction that took place hours and days after.
After denials from several people in authority, despite unmistakable evidence to prove the massacre, life is gradually returning to covid normal. No retribution to anyone who ordered or supported the shooting in the corridors of power and no compensation to anyone in the highway of knowledge!
In this collision of knowledge and power, who won? Who is winning? Who will win? Will demands ever be met or has those who have access to guns established that the power of the gun is mightier than the pen?
Written by Samuel Oluwagbami
Edited by Dr. Omolola Omoteso
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