For days unending, Nigerians have been protesting against police brutality in the country. Daily, they march to the streets seeking an end to the dastardly activities of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS). In the course of the peaceful protests, the protesters have been attacked by thugs. Nevertheless, they are not ready to back down anytime soon.
President of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, has lent his voice to the ongoing issue. The renowned cleric has warned against the actions of the police against the citizens. Regularly, the citizens are harassed, extorted, harmed, and killed unjustly. Bishop Oyedepo stated that there must be an end to the extrajudicial killings. The people are tired of being extorted.
In addition, he said that it is a sacrilege for the people to be killed during the peaceful protests. This is because they have a right to protest; they are justified to do so. Bishop Oyedepo also criticized the regime of the President Muhammadu Buhari. He described it as the most gruesome in the history of the country because the president has no respect for human lives.
As a democratic government, Nigerians are free to protest against any form of injustice. The people feel they have been brutalized for too long; they have endured enough harassment and they cannot take it any longer. There have been a series of reactions on the ongoing #EndSARS protests. The people are not willing to back down; they are resilient till their demands are met.
In his support for the ongoing protests, Bishop Oyedepo said:
"Every man has a right, legitimately so, to express his displeasure and pains. Everybody has it. I kept quiet for a while because in 2015 I warned this nation, vehemently, consistently because I saw the dangers ahead and you can tell.
"The most gruesome season in the life of this nation is in the last five years, where lives have no value, wanton killings here and there. Now, they have faced the youths; and because they dont know who is next, they have a right to say enough is enough.
"Any system that has no value for human lives is irrelevant, if they are killed when they were youths, will they be here today? Now, it would be a sacrilege to shoot the protesters who are not looting, who are not ravaging.
"When you push a goat to the wall then you will know that goats have teeth to bite. It is a sacrilege to kill youths during a protest, this protest is legitimate."
The protesters have blocked many roads in the country, causing a gridlock in vehicular and human activities. People have been forced to trek long distances because of the unending traffic.
The protests have reached various states of the federation Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Kaduna, Anambra, Enugu, Edo, Delta, Rivers, Ekiti, Oyo, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Abuja, and more are still joining in the protests.
At the start of this protest, the states that participated were a few. However, many states have joined so far. It is fast becoming a nationwide protest against injustice and police brutality.
The government has not been able to pin-point one person as the architect of the protest. The people seem to have to be led by themselves. However, their activities have been coordinated by some persons. Funds have also been provided by some persons to ensure that the welfare of the protesters is properly taken care of. This might be a force that keeps the protests ongoing.
Daily, the people go out in large numbers and speak against police brutality. The people are demanding an end to SARS. They want to be able to move about peacefully in their country without the fear of harassment, extortion, and killings.
It is paramount to note that the ongoing protests have affected many businesses because people go through a lot of stress to get to their businesses. The stress is quite enormous but it has not deterred the protesters from marching out daily to seek an end to police brutality in the country.
The people are not willing to back down despite being attacked regularly. Their bravery seems to be increasing the more they face oppositions and oppressions. An end to the protests is not in sight. Will the people triumph in the end? Time shall tell.
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