By
Abiodun AWOSANYA
There are agitations recently that the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) should be brought to an end, attracting the attention of celebrities in the country, launching a campaign on the social media regarded as the #ENDSARS. Some people have intellectually argued that this campaign is engineered by those who are beneficiaries or actors of cyber crimes while quite of others are of the opinion that this body of the police force is a threat to the youth who chose to live their lives the way they do. Before this is dwelled into, there is need to understand how the SARS came into being, and why it is difficult to be eradicated by the federal government.
Little do we know that the negative consequences of the action of police brought about the creation of (SARS, and not primarily due to the emergence of armed robbers in Nigeria. It was in 1992 when the police officers at a checkpoint in Lagos killed one Nigerian army boss, Col. Rindam that the police withdrew all police officers from all checkpoints due to reprisal response of the Nigerian army on any police officers seen on Lagos roads. Social vies increased including roadside prostitution, street robbers, and armed robbers. In response to this, the then commissioner of police in Lagos set up 15-man officers to operate in shadow (No uniform, no name-tag, no branded official) without the knowledge of the army, and this got promoted to the SARS of which we are known today. Thus, SARS was created with only 15-man officers to operate in Lagos before it was hijacked by the central police force to operate across the country to hunt mainly the armed robbers.
The hunting of armed robbers aggravated to hunting cyber criminals (known as yahoo-yahoo) having regarded too as thieves of the contemporary society materialized as a result of emergence of internet in the 21st century. Constant rise in unemployment rate and loss of hope to get employed after graduating, parental failure, reduced educational value, lack of social inclusion in governance and policy formulation amongst others are some of the factors underlined leading to youths’ engagement in the cyber crime. Some people have therefore accused the SARS of not hunting the internet fraudsters but harassing innocent citizens who chose to have some kinds of hairdo, dress in some kind of ways, drive exotic cars, and use valuable phones. These SARS officers have not only accused of collecting a huge sum of money from their captors but have also killed young men (suspects) which people have often regarded as being innocent of the crime of which they are being accused. This latter reason is why there have been campaigns against its eradication.
Some of those agitating for the eradication of SARS are entertainers, civil societies, human right activists, social media influencers and users, and some notable members of the public. These agitations are always expressed via the social media, and no single public protest has been recorded to #ENDSARD. As a result of these online protests, it gives youths and adults the opportunity to sit within their comfort homes and dive into supporting those campaigning against SARS. Two things come to play here. One, it is not everyone on social media have a deep thought before joining a campaign. Just as they campaign for political parties and politicians without ideology, expectedly, they join #ENDSARS campaign. One would begin to wonder if there has ever been any recent campaign launched against hike in price of fuel pump, hike in the price of rice, or poor education in Nigeria.
People dying of hunger and poverty are enormous compare of victims of SARS malicious acts. Have the youths not evidently misplaced their priority?
It is as a result of this that some people have argued that #ENDSARS campaign is promoted by internet fraudsters, and entertainers who are mostly the beneficiaries. These cyber criminals want an atmosphere where they will operate freely, and the entertainers are supporting them so that they will continue reap from them. What moral value has Naira Marley ever imparted through his music that he is launching campaign against SARS operation? No wonder Seun Kuti, instead of campaigning against SARS, chose to face the Nigerian police and army because he believes that the Nigerian police have been brutalizing the common masses long before the creation of SARS in 1992.
Social Media, even though has its own power to make peoples’ voice heard, has recruited youths with small minds. They are being bought over cheaply to support the movement launched by cyber criminals. The same set of youths celebrating the popular convicted internet fraudster, Raymond Hushpuppy, are the ones likely to be convinced by politicians with no ideology while they defect, thereby get their heads swung.
People who have been duped will never support the #ENDSARS campaign. There are people who have been stopped on the road by SARS, requesting to check their laptops and phones while they obliged because they have nothing hidden.
It is baffling when it is heard that people, especially suspects, claiming their phones and laptops are their personal belongings. Should they be reminded that yes, it is sensible for personal belongings to be accessed if you are what you claim you are. A good example is means of identification such as identity card, voter’s card, international passport to mention a few.
Therefore, it is commonsensical for law enforcement agents, like SARS, before an arrest is made to ensure that the person they are arresting is a criminal, and one of method used in a case of random hunting is to strategically locate these criminals using their hairstyles, type of clothes they wear, brand of cars used, amongst others. However, the SARS need to be overhauled or restructured in its operation.
The way forward; first, the SARS should be restricted to what they are originally created for, hunting and arresting “armed” robbers, leaving the EFCC to treat fraudsters’ cases. If the internet criminals are therefore regarded deadlier than armed robbers, then one important action needed to be imbibed by SARS is to start making arrest of suspects instead of harassment. Arrest anyone who fails to lay himself before the law with video evidence, take him to the station for proper/further investigation without torture.
Moreover, there should be a prior investigation before a suspect is approached, thereby canceling the SARS checking points because it does not make sense. This will make the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) more practically functional or better still; create CID unit within the SARS department.
It is shameful and appalling before the international community seeing today’s modern Nigeria in a situation of public physical torture and killing by Law enforcement agents like SARS. It is also disgraceful seeing youths investing their energy ignorantly on the eradication of an instrument created to fight anomalies in our society instead of bitterly criticizing social vices which have been placing the country in integrity jeopardy before the international community. Our government must carry the blame more for the discouraging attitudes the youths portrays as a result of their failure to provide the necessities for the citizens of Nigeria. Youths must be massively focused on. Education must be invested in. employment must be provided. And still, crime must be strategically fought.
The Author, Abiodun AWOSANYA is a Traffic Manager at the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) with educational background in Economics, Mathematics, and Sociology from University of Ibadan, Lagos State University, and Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education respectively. He is the coordinator of Lastma Audiovisual Team (LAVIST) – a platform created to educate, sensitize and entertain the motoring public on traffic laws with the use of motion pictures, thereby exploring LASTMA personnel’s experiences on Lagos roads.
Abass Latifat
1 Comment