#EndSars: Aren’t we all at fault?
In the past couple of days, protests have broken out all over Nigeria and in many other big cities globally. These demonstrations are themed #EndSars and are to condemn the special anti-robbery squad (SARS), an arm of the Nigeria police force notorious for incessant extortions, violence and extrajudicial killings. It is beautiful to see the solidarity with which Nigerians all over the world are coming out to say, “enough is enough!” but a question that not enough people seem to be asking is “what does it mean to end SARS?” Will it be enough to disband the special anti-robbery squad of the Nigerian police force? Will that curb the incessant extortions, violence and extrajudicial killings?
A quick Google search will reveal that the main function of the police force is the protection of the lives and properties of the people in the community it serves. Crime-fighting, while a critical part of the activities of the police force, is only one of the many means by which the police carries out its function of protection of lives and properties. Therefore, if in carrying out its crime-fighting duties, the police endanger the lives and properties of its community, it must be called to order, a structural reform must take place and the erring units must be brought to book. This explains the call for the disbanding of SARS. #EndSars is justified!
However, the solution should not simply end at disbanding the erring unit. Like a Hydra, simply cutting off the erring head will lead to 2 heads growing back in its place. To prevent this, we must learn from Hercules and Lolaus and ensure we cauterise the wound from every head we cut off. #EndSars is a necessary first step but it is only the first step towards achieving the reform we desire and deserve. What happens next is just as important if not more important.
So what needs to happen next? Trust, Optimism and Mutual Respect.
- How many times have you seen that young man in dreadlocks, ripped jeans and loud friends popping champagne in the club and concluded that he’s a Yahoo boy?
- How many times have you seen the young lady in skimpy outfits, sashaying her way through the hotel lobby and concluded that she must be there to see her sugar daddy?
- How many times have you seen those shirtless youths sharing a bottle of Gin on the street corner and concluded that they’re the source of all the recent vandalism in the area?
You’re no different than the SARS officials you so condemn. I’ll admit that I’m no different either as I have also been guilty of making such myopic and biased conclusions. Our police are a reflection of our prevalent biases as a society. So why are we surprised when the SARS officials harass us for looking a certain way when we’re just as cynical of the next person?
Now that we’re finally going to have SARS disbanded, the time has come for us to look inwards and retrace our steps to the time when we saw the next person on the street as a brother or sister rather than another criminal trying to swindle us of our hard-earned money or as an evil that needs to be purged. The time has come for us to give one another the benefit of the doubt.
We’re inherently good people, Nigerians. Only a few decades ago, we had a “trust market” where a trader will display their goods in the open, with price tags and no supervision. Customers interested in the displayed products will pay the fare, take the goods they paid for and leave. At the end of the day, the trader will go back to gather their earnings for the day and there was usually nothing missing — neither goods nor money. So where did it all change? Where did that trust go? When did Nigerians suddenly all become criminals? I have a hypothesis for you: Nigerians haven’t changed; it is just our trust of one another that changed, and it is time we correct that anomaly.
Remember, our police are a reflection of our biases as a society. Can we get back to having a police force we can trust? Can we get back to trusting one another? Can we give each other the benefit of the doubt again? That is how we cauterise the wound. That is how we win this war.
But for now, #EndSars!
