AFTER DISBANDEMENT, WHAT NEXT?

The above question is a pivotal one and in fact, should be on the minds of every Nigerian. For the past last days, delving into weeks now, Nigerians home and abroad have been clamoring for the outright ban of the dreaded SPECIAL ANTI-ROBBERY SQUAD (SARS). A unit of the NPF famous for harassing, kidnapping, and extorting youths, deviating completely from their main duty of combating Armed Robbery, kidnapping, and other serious crimes.

Having been “banned” in past years, youth protesters are determined to make sure it comes to an outright end this time. With the hashtag #ENDSARS getting millions of engagements online, protesters have made sure the campaign gains global attention.
The directive given by the IGP disbanding the dreaded SARS unit is a testament to the fact that as a people, there is no limit to what we can achieve as long as we are together. The directive reinforced the Latin phrase Vox Populi Vox Dei I.e, the voice of the people is the voice of God.

However, should we conclude that the battle has been won? Definitely not. Following the most recent directive by the Inspector General of Police, that a new unit Special Weapon And Tactics Team (SWAT) would be filling the position of the dissolved SARS unit. This would commence with training and a psychological and medical examination to ascertain the fitness and eligibility for the new assignment.

Regardless of how glamorous and promising this new development, Nigerians who have given themselves to the cause of pressing home their demands through protest are not buying it. They largely believe it is a ploy to make them relent by merely given a change of name to this legal terrorist organization SARS which will now be SWAT.

It is important for us to understand that the best way to solve a problem is through Root Cause Analysis. Ending the dreaded police unit alone is like cutting a branch from a bad tree and expecting the problem to have an outright solution, and not renaming the unit in a bid to photostat the American elite SWAT police unit or seemingly pacify the protest instead of granting an outright overhaul.

At this point, it expedient that the government pays attention to our demands which are to completely end the unit then tackle the root cause of the problem which is the inefficient and decayed system of policing. It is time for the entire police force to encounter a complete overhaul and repositioning.

There should be a system where police officers will be accountable for their actions and will serve with integrity, professionalism, and respect for fundamental human rights.

In conclusion, recent happenings and developments have shown clearly that there’s a lot we can achieve as a people as long as we are determined. There is no doubt that this is just a snippet of many reforms that will be initiated in different sectors of the Nation.

Be it #EndSars# or #EndSwat or #Endpolicebrutality there is no backing down till we get what we want.