EndSARS Anniversary: No retreat, no surrender as youths insist on memorial protest

One year after the #EndSARS protests, there is tension again in the corridors of power as youths have vowed to commemorate the anniversary, today, with the Police in Lagos and Osun states declaring there would be no street protest.

Twenty-four hours to the D-day, stakeholders feared that little or nothing has changed, 365 days after the ugly episode, with the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, saying security agencies had become more brazen in lawlessness.

Action Group on Free Civic Space, AGFCS, concurred, saying Nigeria had progressed into a dangerous era of digital unfreedom unmatched in the history of the nation’s democratic journey as a country.

This is even as Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said youths have reasons to demand for a better life in the country just as human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, urged governors to take control of the security situation in their respective states.

“In particular, state governors should, henceforth, exercise the exclusive powers conferred on them to manage public meetings, rallies and processions in line with the provisions of the Public Order Act and the relevant judicial authorities,” he said.

Speaking on what youths will do today, human rights activist and Executive Director of EnoughIsEnough, Yemi Adamolekun, said youths will be at the Lekki Toll Gate in respect of #EndSARS protest’s one year anniversary.

She warned that the Nigerian police should not think of arresting innocent Nigerian youths who are only exercising their constitutional right to protest.

Adamolekun said the sole responsibility of the Nigerian police was to provide security for citizens of Nigeria as well as arrest criminals causing mayhem in the country.

“The police seem to forget that it is their job to gather information regarding criminals in the country and not to go after the peaceful youths.

“They forgot to focus on their job which is to find criminals.

“Last week, they said there should be no protest. Three days ago, they said people have the right to protest. Yesterday, they threatened that the youths should not come out and protest.

“The truth is that the youths will be at the Lekki Toll Gate on Wednesday in respect of the #EndSARS protest of last year.

“These are families who lost their families, friends and relatives. There are agitations and the people are ready to be at Lekki Toll Gate tomorrow.

They said, they want to arrest Mr. Macaroni and leave the thugs. Is Mr. Macaroni a criminal? The police are supposed to go after hoodlums. The police should provide security for the youths and not to threaten anybody,” she said.

No peace without justice — Aisha Yesufu
Another human rights activist, Aisha Yesufu, said: “It is one year since Nigeria killed her own. The Nigerian youths were killed by those who should have protected them.

“The government of Nigeria has gotten away with this atrocity because the citizens are silent.

“And what the citizens failed to understand is that as long as there is no justice in Nigeria, there can never be peace.

“When we keep quiet and do nothing, it seems that we have given the atrocity the permission to come to our door steps.

“Lots of people think, it is not their business, but I say, it is everybody’s business.

“Today, police brutality has continued. They have leaned on the fact that the government is keen on ensuring the citizens don’t come out to make demands that they should be allowed to live. That is not acceptable.

“Nigerians must understand that we are citizens, we are not slaves. And in this country, we have the rights as every other person to be protected and that protection should happen. Keeping quiet is not an option; we have to be active citizens. Nigerians need more active citizens than activists.

“Making demands for the right thing to be done, for good governance, accountability, security of lives and properties is a responsibility of every citizen and that has to be done.

“The youths of Nigeria came out to protest and they protested peacefully but the State unleashed havoc on them.

“The question we should ask is that, why is it that after one year, no justice has been made and we cannot continue to look the other way while the citizens are been affected. Nobody is safe in Nigeria. The fact that we do nothing, we give the government the opportunity to continue to make the country ungovernable and that is what we continue to happen.