The Power of Social Responsibility
*Trigger warning*
This article talks about police brutality and deathly use of force.
For 8 minutes and 46 seconds, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man.
This deadly use of force reinvigorated a very public debate about police brutality and racism.
As protests have spread around the world, the pressure is on police departments, politicians and government officials to do something — from reforming law-enforcement tactics to defunding or even abolishing police departments.
Nigeria is not left out of this conversation, although for them it’s not about race, it’s about police brutality.
Between it being Independence month in Nigeria and Black History Month in the UK, a lot of Nigerians home and abroad are hyper-alert. Sitting in your history and feeling powerless will do that to you.
Last week the discussion was about social responsibility, especially as it pertains to social activism and using influence for positive change.
Around the same time, there was an incident in Delta state, Nigeria where SARS (Special Anti Robbery Squad) officers allegedly murdered a suspected fraudster and fled with his car, shortly after that there was another incident in Ibadan, a young man was hit with a gun by yet another SARS official because he refused to give up his phone unlocked for a search, he ended up in a coma and has been fighting for his life. And this is just two reports out of hundreds maybe thousands of cases.
Police brutality has been a hot topic all over the world, and it’s no different in Nigeria, but perhaps what has been more concerning was that I couldn’t see people coming together and protesting against it, I’m not saying they didn’t. I’m just saying it didn’t seem loud enough to make an impact.
But this week, something changed; perhaps it’s the fact that the people are frustrated with more than sixty years of the same issues, perhaps it’s the fact that we’re in a pandemic.
Whatever it is, just as it seemed like protests were dying down in other parts of the world due to COVID, in Nigeria, it reached a tipping point.
The senseless killings and harassments of citizens have sparked outrage; everyone began to speak out at once.
Wizkid, Davido, Teni, Olamide, Yemi Alade, Runtown, Banky W, Psquare, Falz, Naira Marley, Mr Eazi, Don Jazzy, several other artists, politicians and citizens publicly called out the government, asking for something to be done about the group that has been likened to criminals. The hashtag #EndSARS #EndSarsNow has been trending.
The collective outcry had some effect as it forced the office of the Inspector General of Police to release a statement that condemned and banned the personnel of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and all tactical squads from ” carrying out routine patrols, and other convention low-risk duties, checkpoints, roadblocks, traffic checks etc. with immediate effect.”
But it is not enough to release a press statement; actions must back it up, the police force needs to be restructured, retrained and held accountable. But I must commend Nigerians, especially those with a larger platform; for speaking out, please don’t stop.
I am encouraged by the momentum for change, but I’m also concerned that it is not enough, we cannot let up, we must continue to speak out, film and share videos, tell our stories and keep asking for justice and reform. Because even with the press release that has effectively rendered SARS operations illegal, four hours ago they were still setting up roadblocks.
This fight has to be collective; if they don’t do the right thing without pressure, then we must apply pressure.
Lastly, stay up to date with all you need to know about African music at SOA, right here.
The Power of Social Responsibility
