An end is not in sight for the ongoing protests across Nigeria. The citizens are peacefully protesting against police brutality. More so, the people are demanding an end to the activities of Special Anti Robbery Government (SARS). In some protest quarters, the people stated that this protest is long overdue.
There have been reactions to the ongoing protests in the country. The recent comment on the issue is from the senior pastor of Citadel Church (formerly known as The Latter Rain Assembly), Pastor Tunde Bakare. In his words, the renowned cleric called on the Nigeria Police to expel and prosecute criminal elements among the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
It would be recalled that the government said that it has disbanded SARS. Nevertheless, the protesters are still not convinced as they have been harassed by security operatives as they protest daily.
Pastor Bakare commended the government for disbanding SARS. He also stated that he is certain that this present generation would do well more than his generation that failed the people. In his words:
"It is with a heavy heart I have followed the #EndSARS protests, as young and older Nigerians are united in rejecting harassment, humiliation and the coldblooded murder of their fellow citizens. I recognize this movement for what it is: a wholesale rejection of the barrage of needless frustrations and degradations that define the Nigerian experience.
"You simply cannot police people without their cooperation, and you cannot obtain the cooperation of the people for a tactical unit they no longer trust. We must find a balance between retaining the anti-robbery intention and re-evaluating the identity of the vehicle by first expelling and prosecuting the criminal elements among the rank and file and the leadership.
"The country must re-evaluate, restructure, rebrand and rebuild confidence in an efficient and effective anti-robbery tactical unit. There is a threshold of decency below which no human being must fall, and I reject any status quo where citizens become disposable or the right to life becomes negotiable.
"I acknowledge the comments and efforts of the presidency, state governments, the national and state assemblies, and the NPF. It was evident that SARS was created with noble anti-robbery intentions. However, the grave irony was that it had become a grotesque embodiment of the problem it was created to solve.
"This savage Nigerian-on-Nigerian cannibalism must end, and I expect a decisive and lasting solution to be implemented.
"May the souls of the departed rest in peace and may the living forge a nation worthy of the resounding courage of the young men and women of the #EndSARS movement," Bakare said.
The former vice presidential candidate to President Muhammadu Buhari will not be the first pastor to speak on the trending news. Pastor Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Christian Center has been vocal about the plight of the citizens. Likewise, he supports the people in their peaceful protests. He has also advised the government on the need to reform the entire police force.
Nigerians are protesting against police brutality and injustice. The people are tired of being harassed and maltreated in their land. In one accord, they march daily on the streets for one cause. This protest is also expected to be a collective demand for an end to bad government.
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