New Telegraph 
Exactly a year ago, the #EndSARS protests, which kicked off in different parts of the country on October 8, was forcefully ended when the government cracked down on the protesters at the Lekki Toll Plaza in Lagos – the symbolic epicentre of the movement. Unfortunately, lives were lost and both private and public property were looted and destroyed when hoodlums hijacked the hitherto peaceful protest. Those that lived through the ordeal still carry the scars and have stories of woe to recount. Our correspondents report…
Today, October 20, makes it a year that peaceful #End- SARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Plaza were shot at by masked security operatives allegedly killing and injuring some of them. The military hierarchy, however, denied killing anyone at the scene, which had become the symbolic epicentre of the protest and had attracted worldwide interest.
The #EndSARS protest, which kicked off 12 days earlier, was against police 
brutality and harassment fuelled by videos and reports of the atrocities committed by a special police unit set up to combat violent crime. The protesters demanded the dismantling of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), believed to be notorious for human rights violations. Theshooting of theprotesterscaused a chain reaction, sparking killings and destruction across Nigeria, with policemen, unfortunately, also being targeted.
The event caused private and public individuals, and organisations’ financial losses. Today marks the anniversary of that dark day in October 2020 and different people have different real life experiences to tell. Incidentally, arguably some of the most affected by the ‘October uprising’ are the wives and children of policemen killed, maimed and injured during the protest.
Oyo: Wives of murdered policemen still awaiting corpses of loved ones
In Oyo State, wives of these murdered policemen have continued to relive their agony following the demise of their husbands. Recently, some of them were given cheques of N500, 000 relief funds by the Federal Government. They, however, complained of how long it took before they were able to cash the cheques, which had thrown them into a pitiable state of insolvency.
Many of them said they are struggling to pay their children’s school fees. Mrs. Beauty Akanmu, who spoke on behalf of other widows, said it took them about 10 months before they could cash the cheques issued then through the Inspector General-of-Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba.
Five police officers were killed in the state while many sustained varying degrees of injuries during the nationwide protest. The affected officerswhopaidthesupremesacrificewere: Adegoke Ajibola, Rotimi Oladele, Peter Abegunde, James Akanmu, and Alidu Yusuf Wada. The widows said that their children had been asking for their fathers’ corpses. Akanmu said: “Our hearts are heavy with sadness. For the past few days, I have not been able to eat, let alone sleep.
Since I lost my joy last October, life has been miserable for me and other widows. None of us is happy and our children have been asking us for the remains of their fathers almost every day. We need the corpses of our husbands. We want the police authorities to release to us the bodies of our late husbands. “We cannot properly feed our children. We have withdrawn them from schools.
Even if it’s their carcasses, we shall accept and bury them. It will serve as evidence for our children when they grow old. We are troubled and Nigeria must not add to our woes. We want the Federal Government, state government, well-meaning Nigerians and human rights’ activists to intervene in our matter.” Some of the atrocities committed on the police men in the Pace Setter State were particularly despicable with videos emerging of hoodlums practicing cannibalism – roasting and eating the body parts of the dismembered officers.
Lagos: How my station got burnt is a mystery – Police officer
A seniorpoliceman, attached toAnti-Cultism Unit, LagosStateCommand, whodidn’twanthis name in print, said: “Before, we were supposed to hand over the station to Area H Command, but the station was burnt during the #EndSARS protest. The station wasmeant to be givento Area H Police Command, while Area H Command would then hand it over to the traffic unit.
“Every arrangement had been made to handover the station to Area H Commander, while the suspects in the cell were transferred to the state command, especially those whose COVID- 19 tests had been conducted on them, and those whose cases were bailable were released, and all these were done in haste to avoid crisis during the protest, but it eventually occurred.
“We were also taking stock of the numbers of guns, live ammunition and files of the suspects to transfer them to the command on Thursday and the station was supposed to be handed over on Friday. “But immediately the #EndSARS protest
there was a signal from the command headquarters, Ikeja, that we should be on alert to prevent our station from being burnt. They said there was intelligence indicating that the protesters were targeting police stations and government facilities in the state.” He further recalled: “How our station got attacked and burnt by the protesters is still a mystery to us. But the fact is that there were too many of them.
The policemen stationed at theentranceof thestation, facingtheGbagada Expressway. Sincerely, howtheypenetratedthe station from behind in broad daylight was a mystery to me and other policemen. We were unable to move the guns and ammunition to thecommandbeforeourstationwasattacked. Everything we kept in the station was razed down, if not for the quick intervention of fire fighters, otheradjoining buildings near the station would have been affected by the fire.
“Immediately we saw the fire burning from the back of the station, some of the policemen rushed to salvage files and uniforms, but they sustained injuries from the fire. Before we knew what was happening, the fire had spread to cells and other departments in the station.
While we were trying to get those who committed the act, the fire spread to other parts of the station. The only grace we had was that the station was not attacked at night or else a lot of our men would have died in the incident.
This is because some of them used to sleep in the office. After the incident, we all scattered to different stations and formations within the Lagos State Command.”
Ogun: ‘Protesters removed the cap of our DPO’
Another policeman, from Mowe Police Station, in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, said he prays never to experience a protest like the #EndSARS ever again.
He said that the stress, worries and anxieties, which police personnel went through that period, was unbearable. He further said: “Immediately the protests started, wereceived asignalfromthestatecommand, putting us on red alert. We were told to be on alert and prevent casualties from the police, protestersand membersof thepublic.
The truthisthateverypolicestationinthecountry has one or two bitter experiences to tell about the#EndSARSprotests. ItwasGodwhosaved some stations from being razed. “In fact, threedaysaftertheprotests started, some youths took over the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
When the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) went to talk to the protesters, to allow free flow of vehicular movement, one of the youths came out from the crowd and removed the DPO’s capandthen threatenedto slaphim. Beforeweknewwhatwashappening, another set of protesters emerged from the crowd, and said: ‘Let’s burn down their station!’ “Immediately, one of us left the scene, dashed to the station and alerted our colleagues at the station to be combat ready. Even at the point of provocation, the DPO continued to beg them, to take it easy and allow free flow of traffic.
Thank God the situation later became calm after the Mowe organisers of the protests addressed the youths.”
The police officer further recounted: “Three days later, the whole stretch of the road to Lagos State Secretariat was taken over as they danced to Fela and other songs. We were later warned by the then DPO not to go near the protesters.
Since after the #End- SARS protests, our morale has gone down and since then, on the slightest provocation, a youth, who is not up to the age of your child at home will start threatening to deal with you.”
Many burnt police stations yet to be rebuilt
Ayearsincethe#EndSARSprotestnationwide, many burnt police stations across the country are yet to be rebuilt. The inability to repair these stations have put further strain on the police personnel in theaffectedburntstationsastheynowwander around waiting to be posted to other stations.
A number of them have resulted in engaging insidehustleslikecommercialmotorcycle riders, cab drivers and even wearing their uniforms to mount road blocks in order to extort motorists in order to augment their salaries.
For instance, theAilegunPoliceFormation in Ejigbo, in Ejigbo Local Government Area, which was burnt down on October 21, 2020, is just receiving attention as construction work is just starting. But, when our correspondent visited the station, workers had deserted the place.
When we inquired from one of the affected police officers at the station, Constable Yemi (surname withheld), hesaid that workers stopped working because of paucity of funds and insecurity. Yemi explained that it has been tough for him and his colleagues, accusing the police hierarchy in Abuja of abandoning them in their time of need.
The policeman stated that many of them, numbering about 15, were in the station on that fateful morning after resuming work, when they suddenly started hearing on the police radio that many police stations in Lagos were under attack. Police stations and their personnel were asked to be on alert.
According to him, when they got information that the armed protesters had torched the office of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) along Ejigbo road, they realised that the protesters were heading toward the Ailegun Police Formation.
He said: “Unfortunately, we have received instruction from Abuja, that we should not shoot live bullets at the protesters.” Yemi said that before they knew what was happening, they heard that the protesters were almost at the station.
According to him, he and his colleagues bolted out of the station, leaving their uniforms, rifles and ammunition. He recalled that three parked cars were burnt at the station. Yemi stated that since the incident, many of them had been loitering, without any station to work from.
He said that the present status quo at the station has made life unbearable for them and their families. Hesaidthatsomeof hiscolleaguesarenow facing rent challenges, children’s school fees, feeding hardships and financial hardship. Headded:“Whathappenedlastyearwasreallyabiglessonforeverypoliceman. Policemen were the number one targets of the protesters.
Our core responsibility is to protect lives and property. But in this case, the armed Nigerian protestersturnedtheirangeragainstthepolice, leading to policemen losing their lives. Till today, IhavenotrecoveredmyrifleandcasefilesI leftinmy officeatthestation. Imusttellyou, life has been difficult and challenging for me and myfamilymembersasIcannolongermeetup with my responsibility as head of the house.”
Anambra: Mrs Obiano comes to aid of police officers’ widows
The wife of the Governor of Anambra State, Dr. EbelechukwuObiano, hostedtheAssociation of Police Officers Wives (POWA) in thestate. TheNationalPresidentof POWA, Hajia Hajara Usman Baba, who happens to be the wife of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, was also at the event. It was learnt that out of 176 widows that attended the event, which turned into an endowment programme of the state government under the governors wife’s ‘Caring Family Enhancement Initiative’, over 85 percent of them had lost their husbands during the #EndSARS crisis. Some of them who spoke with our correspondent, declined to mention their names. Some of these widows are in their late 20s and early 30s.
The widows received sewing machines, hair dryers, grinding machines, barbering equipment, kernel cracking machines, amongst others. Some of them broke down and wept as they stepped forward to receive the items.
The widows lamented that they had been maltreated at the barracks, where they resided, as they were evicted a few months after the death of their husbands. Some revealed that theyretainedtheiraccommodations, butwere made to pay exorbitant rents.
This was also as they alleged that they were yet to receive any benefits from the Nigerian Police Force. Meanwhile, the state government, following the #EndSARS protest also set up a panel as a measure to look into some of the injustices meted out to people in the state by the police. Today, many people in the state are still waiting and wanting to know the outcome of the panel’s findings.
Ms. Ilonanya Obianuju, described herself as a victim. She said that a former SARS OC, James Nwafor, in Anambra State, allegedly killed her brother and they are still waiting for him to hand over the corpse of her brother to them.
She added: “Unfortunately, the same NwaforisnowtheChief SecurityOfficertoObiano and former CBN Governor, Charles Soludo. I pray the government should provide the body of my brother so that we can bury him.”
Mr. Chima Christian, a Social Justice Advocate, said: “One year after the #EndSARS Panel was inaugurated in Anambra State, what we saw from the onset was that the government was not serious about it. Funding the sittings of the panel became an issue and in the process, the panel went on strike, to protest and call back the government’s attention for the panel to be provided with logistics and operational facilities.”
Comparing the two, Christian said that in Lagos State police and military officers were subpoenaed to come and testify, which never happened in Anambra. He described the panel in Anambra as a toothless bulldog, although it has concluded its findings, and sent the report to the appropriate quarters.
He added: “Another unfortunate thing was that the youths’ representatives in that panel pulled out, which further contributed to nose-diving of the activities of the panel. It is on these grounds that the trails of injustices meted out to Ndi Anambra still remain unattended to, because the government of Anambra State has not implemented the submissions of that panel.”
Kwara: ‘Our protest hasn’t changed anything’
In Kwara State, a protester, Lukman Bello, acknowledged thattheprotestwasacampaign againstpolicebrutality, extortion, harassment and bad governance. He said that he was shocked to see that such bad habits were still being practiced by police personnel.
Hesaid: “Theonlything thathaschangedis the ban of SARS. Police are still harassing and extorting people under the guise of discharging their responsibilities as law enforcement agents.
To me, the only way to get all these illegal and uncivilized behaviours of police reduced isthroughstandard trainingand proper orientation beginning from the Police Training Colleges, and whoever is found wanting, should be dealt with without fear or favour.”
Enugu: Police brutality still exists, spread to EFCC – Protester
Oneof the#EndSARSprotestersinEnugu State, Mr. ChukwunonsoOkolo, expresseddismay that one year after the protest, justice for victimsof policebrutalitystillremainselusive.
This was even as Okolo complained that theEconomicandFinancialCrimesCommission (EFCC) seems to have been infiltrated by former operatives of SARS. He noted that operatives of the EFCC were now adopting the same brutal modus operandi of the disbanded SARS.
He alleged that EFCC operatives now raid restaurants and hotels in Enugu State without court warrants, and usually engage in illegal arrest and detention of youths who they falsely profile as ‘yahoo boys’. He added: “As a matter of fact, significantly, we have not got justice, which was the reason for the #EndSARS protest.
Some of the police officers we pointed at, especially the man at Awkuzu in Anambra State, up till now, had not been arrested, let alone to be prosecuted. Even the panels set up in different states seemed not to have achieved much. It’s almost like people died in vain, and the reason young Nigerians took to the streets are resurfacing.
“We heard reports that some of the SARS officers joined the EFCC, and EFCC is now what SARS used to be. If you have nice clothes, maybe you are lucky to have i-Phone, you are profiled as a yahoo man or yahoo whatever.
They come into restaurants, hotels to harass people without a search warrant.
The Majestic Hotel incident was one of such instances. We were having a peaceful meeting, when the EFCC stormed into the place. It was a two-day self-sponsored meeting and we never wanted any politician to be part of it, so that we could speak our mind and try to find a solution to the sit-at-home problem.”
Okolo said that the youth leaders, Ohanaeze Ndigbo youth wing, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), National Youth Council of Nigeria and some other youth organisations were having a meeting when one of them went downstairs to give someone directions. It was when he didn’t return that they realised something was not right. They went looking for him and discovered that
EFCC operatives had taken him away. He said: “We brought him back that same night and demanded that every other person in the cell must be released. The EFCC boss told us that it was a clash of interest, that they never knew we were having a meeting. While speaking, he mentioned that they had earlier raidedfourdifferenthotels.
Howcantheybegoingfromonehoteltoanother? Theyknowthat theyaretargetingbusinessesintheSouthEast. “This is exactly what the SARS operatives were doing. Gradually, the reasons for the protest are coming back and people are not happy.
A lot of people are saying, ‘let’s go and protest,’ we said no, we can’t keep protesting. When we go to the street, they’ll see us.’ Our appeal to the authorities is justice! We want an organised society. If the government knows who a criminal is, they should go after the criminal, and not harass innocent people.”
Adamawa: Still waiting for panel to give justice
During the#ENDSARS protest, the Adamawa State government came out with a policy; thegovernment askedthoseaffecteddirectlyor indirectly, to list their losses for compensation.
ThegovernmentthroughtheChief of Staff to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, Professor Maxwell Gidado, constituted a Judicial Panel of Inquiry to investigate the circumstances surroundingthe# EndSARSbrutalityoncitizens.
Gidado said: “The setting up of the panel was to investigate any petition of human right abuses. We urge all victims to come out and speak out their grievances with the aim of compensating genuine ones.”
Some victims of police brutality in the state, complained over the panel’s snaillike pace in coming out with the outcome of its investigation.
One of the victims, from the Numan Local Government area of the state, lamented: “My son was wrongly beaten and tortured to death by operatives of SARS for an offence he didn’t commit. I appeared before the panel and tendered every document needed as directed, but up till date, the white paper on the wrongful termination of my son’s death is yet to be released.
The problem of SARS is still on, but in another dimension. Innocent Nigerians are still being secretly killed. SARS is a symptom of bad government.”
Abuja: ‘It’s sad some youth allowed govt use them to scuttle protest’
An Abuja-based young man, John Unubi said: “I actively participated in the #End- SARS protest because the actual victims of the #EndSARS brutality were not on ground to be fully involved, not by choice. Some victims died in SARS custody, some lost hands, legs, while others went insane.
“The #EndSARS protest was not hatched out of malice or hate for the present government, but a protest to end SARS’ brutality and to treat the socio-economic malady the youths of Nigeria found themselves in.
A country where social justice and equity are slaughtered on the altar of nepotism, a country where the lawless legislate our laws, the executives milk dryourcommonwealth, thesanctityof justice is raped and ripped apart bythose who aresupposed to enforce justice and fairness.” Unubifurtherstated:“#EndSARSisaparadigmshiftfromthe‘ asusual’ tothe‘newusual’.
The new usual is putting the right people in the rightplacetolead. Therearechangesnodoubt thatcameaboutthroughthebloodof innocent youths gunned down.
What we need to do now is reorientation and reawakening. We have to take our destiny into our hands to be fully involvedintheelectionof thosewhowillleadthe country, so that the agenda of #EndSARS will beactualized. Myonlyregretabout#EndSARS protest is the youths that allowed themselves to be used by the government to disrupt a wellorchestrated protest.
A protest where youths from all walks of life took Mother Nigeria to the delivery room to birth a new Nigeria. But disgruntledmidwives(politicians) stoppedthe delivery. I know Nigeria is still in labour, and soon, a new Nigeria will be born.`
` An Abuja based entrepreneur, Gloria Adejo, said: “I wasn’t part of the protest. However, I think even though a response team was set up by the judiciary to investigate past cases of police brutality, and grant justice to some victims where applicable, I cannot say emphatically that those cases of police brutality are now a thing of the past. As we still see pockets of cases of bullying, infringement on rights, bribery and corruption from some members of the Force.
That being said, the #EndSARS protesters equally agitated for a handful of other things like a corrupt free government, a more robust and vibrant economy, inclusion of young bright minds in governance, amongst others. “Sadly, nothing seems to have changed in this regard.
In fact, it seems all right to conclude that these sacrificial lambs embarked on a journey of futility, shedding their blood in the process. Nigeria has greatly retrogressed in her economy; young people do not have hopes of being included in the 2023 governance.
After a year of that peaceful protest, which turned bloody, nothing significant has changed as it concerns the state of the nation.
” Iji Agnike said he was actively involved in theprotest, adding:“Iwasinvolvedbothonline andofflinebyre-tweetingandpostingonallsocialmediaplatforms, joiningthemassesonthe streets because we were tired of police brutality.
We were tired of how our officials handled issues of corruption and we wanted change for our future children. We also wanted police reforms and good governance.
We’re tired of the wide gap between the rich and the poor. “The first and the most important is the fact that they know we can change things if we unite. At least they increased the salary scale of the police.”
Ekiti: Fayemi identifies with youths’ complaints – Aide
The Special Adviser (SA) to the Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi on Youths and Student Matters, Moses Ademiloye said Nigerian youths took the #EndSARS protest as an avenue to communicate their grievances to the government for necessary correction to be made. He expressed dismay on how the protest turned bloody through the handiwork of some criminal elements.
This was also as he mentioned that the protest had positive effects considering the prompt responses from both state and federal government.
Ademiloye said: “The youths felt they were neglected and that the only way they could let their voice heard was the protest. The first, second and third day of the protest were all right, there was no crisis until some hoodlums hijacked it.
So unfortunate it happened that way! What they did wasn’t bad initially until a few people, who I wouldn’t know how they came, hijacked it. Governor Fayemi, who was in their midst, shared in their pains and this shows they had legitimate right to air their grievances.”
The governor’s SA explained that even before the protest, Fayemi had injected a lot of youths into strategic positions in the state, whichminimizedthecrisisinEkitiStatecompared to some other states.
Imo: Protesters didn’t die in vain, true heroes – OAP, Abdul
Human rights activist and On-Air- Personality (OAP), Comrade Aku Obidimma, popularly known as Abdul, maintains that all the #EndSARS protesters who lost their lives in the course of the struggle did not die in vain. Describing them as the true heroes of the Nigerian state, Abdul said that as unfortunate as their deaths were, they died for a just cause which is why we will not let the #EndSARS movement die.
He added that: “For the lofty ideals the #EndSARS struggle represented, and for the higher purpose for which young Nigerians laid down their lives, we shall be holding a commemorative rally in their honour in Imo State, a reassurance that this struggle for a better Nigeria will never die.”
Abdul said he joined the #EndSARS protest wilfully just like many other Nigerians, having been disturbed by the increasing level of lawlessness and impunity in the Police Force and not just the SARS.
The #End- SARS protest presented an opportunity to lend my voice to the calls for genuine and holistic reforms in the Nigerian Police force. Abdul narrated: “I remember as a young graduate during my youth service days, I had just returned from the NYSC camp and with all the excitement, my friends and I went to hang out somewhere in Orji, Owerri, just to have a good time. We were at the joint when a team of policemen stormed the pub and arrested all of us and everyone in sight. They refused to listen to any explanation.
“They bundled us into their vehicle and took us to their station. Not even my NYSC identification meant anything to them. They held us against our will for doing absolutely nothing. We were released only when we agreed to pay the ‘ransom’ they described as bail.
That incident left a mark on me and on a regular basis, in the course of the struggle; we get complaints of acts of unpardonable impunities, lawlessness and brazen criminality against the police. “So the #EndSARS protest was a veritable opportunity for most Nigerians to express their misgivings with policing in the country and also make recommendations towards strictly regulating the activities of the police while improving their conditions of service. “
