Issues In EndSARS Protest; Rights and Obligations Of All Parties By Adeola Samuel-Ilori

 

“To remember is to reflect, and in reflecting you know how to do things in different ways another time. Police has no right to stop peaceful protest, its a constitutional right, protesters too should know that where their rights end, others’ too begin”

PEGASUS REPORTERS, LAGOS | OCTOBER 21, 2021

Do we need to remember the sad side of EndSARS last year without the memory of the good side? It’s obvious things happened back then this time last year but the event never started on a bad notes. It’s only when the handlers don’t know when to retreats and strategized over the win they made that led to the carnage and brigandage.

The people that hijacked it can’t be totally blamed not because what they did does not stand condemned but because there is no effect without a cause (cause and effect) is the bane for criminal matter adjudication to determine the motive and the actual action of the culprit (Mens Rea and Actus Rea).

Maybe if we don’t see videos of those allegedly sponsored by government initially to disrupt the peaceful protest and gathering similar to the one we had in Ojota fuel increase protest which Jonathan referred to as jamboree which he later used soldiers to disrupts, maybe just maybe the last experience won’t have come as the end of that protest and today, we may not have anything to remember beyond the reform it brought to the institution that triggered the protest.

Now we have an event, which the memory of the tragic ending eroded the good it’s meant to served and agreed or not, on both side, there were casualties. Why should the police say there shouldn’t be memory protest? Why should there be protest in the first place if the government had not sent soldiers to shoot those who were dancing and singing in protest? These are the reasons for remembrance and I will advise both side not to be afraid of themselves, it’s same fear that led us to last year unhappy ending. Let the protesters be peaceful as usual and let the security agents stop the panic button they are pressing each time they hear protest, rather let them be proactive at ways they will make sure the protest never get hijacked.

To remember is to reflect, and in reflecting you know how to do things in different ways another time. Police has no right to stop peaceful protest, its a constitutional right, protesters too should know that where their rights end, others’ too begin. Let them not harass others while doing protest and when you are provokes by hoodlums as the police called them, involve the law enforcement agents around.

Adeola Samuel-Ilori, the Executive Director, Advocacy for Police Better Welfare Initiative, sent in this short piece before the anniversary of the protest which took place on 20th of October.

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