News — SARS

A huge debate on the regulation of social media has come up recently, following recent chaos that came after the #ENDSARS protest. Once more, people are arguing whether social media spaces should remain avenues of free expression or whether it’s time for the government to step into this space. However, many have overlooked the more important question of why we need social media even in political turmoil.

For a movement which pulled as much weight as that of #ENDSARS, mainstream media was mostly ineffective in following it leading to social media being at the forefront of covering the movement. This raises the question of how important social media and freedom of expression have become to individual liberty. 

From a hashtag on Twitter, the movement grew with young people around the country sharing their stories of police brutality which led to the realization of the enormity of the problem and then to a call to action. While mainstream media was slowly catching up to the magnitude of this movement, social media users made it trend and also ensured it attracted an audience both locally and internationally, drawing attention to the plight of young Nigerians. 

The human rights abuses against protesters were mostly documented by private individuals and shared on social media. Many of these events were not covered by mainstream media. The live video of the Lekki Massacre which was watched by over 150,000 people serves as infallible proof of the event which has otherwise been consistently denied. Despite the fact that the chaos that ensued cannot be directly blamed on social media interactions, social media has become the scapegoat in Nigerians’ quest for a return to sanity and safety. 

This important help social media provided comes barely a year after the uproar surrounding the social media bill and reaffirms why the bill had to be resisted and why any attempt to bring it up again must be vociferously challenged. The question of whether the movement would have gathered as much traction as it did or whether the human rights violations committed during this period would have been covered up if social media was being regulated by the government now has a clear answer.  

The government’s obvious attempts at covering up these events—the denials, terming it fake news, the persecution of protesters—freezing of their bank accounts, terming them threats to the nation and the fact that many of the key figures in the protests have had to flee the country for their lives is proof that we can’t trust this same government with control over what we can and cannot share on social media.

One may be tempted to acquiesce to some sort of regulation to prevent fake news or hate speech especially in these volatile times, however, a clampdown on free speech doesn’t always end at the extremities regulators claim they’re trying to prevent. A good example is the cancel culture that’s slowly growing around the world and on social media. At first, it started with hate and violent speech but has moved on to target conspiracy theories and speech deemed politically and socially incorrect or offensive.

The media has always been at the forefront of the struggle for liberty in whatever form it has taken over the years. There is no doubt that social media is a new and powerful tool for advocating freedom and if we are to diligently guard our liberty, we must also diligently guard freedom of expression and in particular, our freedom to use social media even for those whose words we dislike. We mustn’t forget so soon after, the role social media has played in exposing the failures of the government.

Even though things might be scary in these times, Nigerians should be careful of making the very common mistake of trading safety for freedom. While the government taking charge might give a facade of calm and sanity, greater dangers to liberty and even safety can arise from there.

Nigerian protesters demanding an end to police brutality returned to the streets on Wednesday, saying they were unconvinced by the creation of a new police unit and a pledge not to use violence against demonstrators.

Protesters have staged daily marches nationwide for a week, calling for an overhaul of police forces. Police have responded to the demonstrations with beatings, tear gas and gunfire, which human rights group Amnesty International said had killed at least 10 people.

The protests have prompted a raft of announcements. The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a police unit that demonstrators have long accused of beatings, killings and extortion, was officially disbanded on Sunday.

On Tuesday, police agreed to stop using force against protesters. They also announced the formation of a new unit, the Special Weapons and Tactics team (SWAT), to "fill the gaps" left by the disbanded SARS.

But protesters said on Wednesday they feared the new unit will simply be a rebranded version of SARS.

Hundreds gathered on Wednesday in the capital Abuja, as well as megacity Lagos and Warri -- both in the south -- to press their calls for police reforms.

"What they do is... give them new uniforms, call them a different name, but they are still the same people in these police forces," said blogger Folu Oyefeso, in Lagos.

Demonstrators in Lagos, who gathered despite heavy rain, sang, danced and chanted. Many held placards, including one that read "Stop killing our dreamers. #EndSARS now."

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in a statement on Wednesday, urged protesters to wind down demonstrations, saying that the gridlock caused in recent days had disrupted businesses still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

"People are just coming back to businesses. It would be unfair for those businesses not to be able to get back on their feet again," he said.

Nigeria's police chief has ordered the unconditional release of all demonstrators arrested during protests against police brutality.

This was a key demand of protesters who have rallied against the hated Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars) in major cities for seven days.

Amnesty International said that 10 people were killed in the protests.

Rallies have continued despite President Muhammadu Buhari announcing on Sunday the disbandment of Sars.

Protesters responded to that announcement with scepticism, saying they believed that Sars officers were still deployed.

Some of Nigeria's biggest music stars, including Davido and Falz, threw their weight behind the demonstrators, who have been galvanising support on Twitter under the #EndSARS hashtag.

On Tuesday, they marched in the oil hub of Port Harcourt in defiance of a ban on demonstrations imposed by the state governor.

Protests were also held in the commercial hub, Lagos, the country's capital, Abuja, and four other cities.

What did the police chief say?

Mohammed Adamu announced the release of all protesters at a meeting with the National Human Rights Commission.

He did not say how many of them were in detention.

Mr Adamu added Nigerians had the right to protest peacefully and ordered officers to stop using force against them. He acknowledged that the protesters' concerns were genuine and said they would be addressed by the government.

The meeting also agreed that an independent panel would be set up to investigate allegations of abuse against Sars, and other police units.

On Monday, Mr Buhari promised that the disbandment of Sars was only the first step towards "extensive" reforms within the police force.

Huge victory for protesters

The police chief's announcement is a massive victory for the protesters. It shows that the government is under enormous pressure. It is difficult to predict whether the demonstrations will now end. The level of mistrust between the government and protesters is high.

The protesters have also got a taste of their power, and they may decide to continue their campaign. They would very much like to see punitive action against police and other security officers blamed for the deaths of demonstrators.

Although Amnesty International says 10 people have been killed, other reports suggest that the number is lower.

The protest movement does not have an organised leadership. Much of its success is down to online influencers - especially a group of women who have been organising medical supplies and funding, including bail for detainees - and celebrities who have supported the protests from the onset.

Protesters are most likely to listen to these two groups and the government will be hoping that they call for an end to the demonstrations.