Gbenro Adesina
The Catholic Church in Nigeria have lent its voice to the ongoing nationwide #ENDSARS Protest embarked upon by the Nigerian youth saying, “EndSARS goes beyond the SARS and it is morally justified”.
A statement signed by the President of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Most Rev. Augustine Obiora Akubeze, said, “We support the youths who have taken this step and we caution that they are allowed without any intimidation to exercise their right to peaceful demonstration and should not be provoked or incited to violence”.
The statement was dated October 17, 2020 and titled, “EndSARS Protest: A cry for justice and peace in Nigeria (A press release of the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Augustine Akubeze on the EndSARS protest in Nigeria): Addressed to all Catholic Bishops, Priests, Consecrated Persons, Lady Faithful, all Nigerian Youths, and Fellow Nigeria”.
The church commended the Youths for leading the protest and movement adding, “It is remarkable and quite commendable that this protest is being led by the youths of Nigeria, who are tired of suffering from the brutality and injustices perpetrated by officers of the SARS and the Nigeria Police Force as a whole. There is hardly any Nigerian who has not directly or indirectly encountered the crude and inhuman manner the SARS officials deal with citizens of this country. The youths are therefore simply calling for justice not just for themselves, but for the entire nation so that Nigeria can have peace. Whereas the Federal Government keeps asking for peace and calm in the face of every crisis, the present agitation shows that our youths have run out of patience and are tired of the lip-service paid by the government of the day towards a just and peaceful society. We unequivocally add our voice to those of our youths and that of every well-meaning Nigerian to condemn the excess and the horrible operations of this police unit and the bad omen they portend to our democracy”.
The church pointed out that the government has declared war on its people for its failure to ensure peace and justice saying, “Thus, the crises of our children protesting against the brutality of the SARS that manifests in extra-judicial killings, unlawful arrests, profiling of youths as criminals, the invasion of their privacy by searching phones and laptops without any warrant or any just cause, and the incarceration of many of the youth in the SARS custody without trial, are all cries for justice”.
According to the Church, what the Youths are protesting against are not peculiar to the youths but the entire Nigerians and residents of the country, calling on the Federal Government to begin to fulfil its statutory responsibility of ensuring adequate security for all and sundry.
“The EndSARS protest is a microcosm of the fundamental problems in Nigeria. The audacity and inquiry with which the SARS officials have been operating all the while is a manifestation of the failing State of Nigeria… A centralised Police Force in Nigeria is primarily responsible for the lack of grassroots accountability for the crimes perpetrated by the SARS and their likes. We reiterate that restructuring this country is a desirable path to be towed given the various developments in this nation. The knee jerk reaction of the administration by abolishing the SARS and setting up the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team portrays either the absence of an understanding of the entire problem or a lack of sincerity to address the problem”.
The Church pointed out that the government should get the fact straight that the country is asking for total reform and restructure of the country, stressing, “Youth is calling for a reform of all our government institutions and a reform of the entire nation. They are asking for a system that will be hard on crimes and criminals in the society within the ambience of the law, while at the same time treating every human citizens and visitors alike, with respect and dignity”.
“The #EndSARS protest is a cry for justice for all violent victims of the SARS and police brutality, and a call for the prosecution of all those responsible for these crimes against humanity and their superior under whose leadership such heinous atrocities were committed against innocent Nigerians. We must not lose sight of the fact that #EndSARS is also a call for a review of the welfare of the policemen who have been badly deprived by the system… The cries for justice by our youths must be seen as a cry for peace in Nigeria. The youths want a Nigeria where there will be education without industrial strikes. They want a Nigeria society where the child of nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody. They want a Nigeria where knowledge and skills will meet gainful employment. This cry is for a Nigeria where they are not treated as second class citizens but accorded equal opportunities to realise their potentials rather than being profiled as criminals by those who are supposed to protect them. Our Youth desire a Nigeria they can be proud of and live in and raise their families and hand over to the next generation with great hope”, the statement added.
