Slapping an armed police officer shows all aspects of Nigerian life including citizens need to be reformed, Lauretta Onochie, others speak
*How bad eggs make noble police job look ridiculous
*What other Nigerians say
*”Change #ENDSARS to #ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY or face counter protests”
By BASHIR ADEFAKA
“If we want our condition to change from bad to good, we should change our attitude. We should be well reformed as citizens because those SARS operatives and other bad eggs in the security and other public agencies got into the system from among us,” he said.
The coast is now getting clearer for the world to see how the reform citizens seek should not be restricted to police alone but also that even the police reform seekers need urgently to themselves be reformed.
This was as Lauretta Onochie, Digital and Social Media Aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, and other Nigerians reacted to a video clip now in circulation in which a Nigerian has the audacity to slap an armed police officer on a highway and #ENDSARS campaign.
Although police reform exercise is still ongoing, the restraint by the AK47 carrying officer from responding – against the known way of pulling the trigger against such unruly or innocent citizen, shows the nation is now beginning to have a professional policing in place.
Considering the number of citizens on the policemen on duty, to avoid being mobbed, the slapped officer simply moved away from the spot and when they advanced towards him, he shot into the ground and his attackers ran back.
In the reaction posted on her Facebook handle Saturday night, Lauretta Onoch simply said all Nigerians need a change of attitude.
“We all need to #CHANGE the way we react to situations.
A little respect for one another, goes a long way in fostering peaceful co-existence.
“We need an all round reformation, Citizens too. #Bullying & #Confrontation are a total waste of time.
“I applaud this POLICE OFFICER for applying common sense. #ITotallyEndorseReforms #Accountability,” she said.
In a separate post by another patriotic citizen, Idris Ahmad, it was advised that the protesters for #ENDSARS should change their tag to #ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY or they face counter protests after Sunday October 11, 2020.
The DEFENDER reports there has been resentment in certain quarters against #ENDSARS as some Nigerians warn it is a protests organised by ‘Yahoo Yahoo Boys’ because of the hear they face with operatives of the crack police unit.
To this end, Idris Ahmad, a string and diehard supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari, addressed fellow Buharists on his verified Facebook handle early Sunday morning asked by them to brace up for the next action if #ENDSARS protesters fail after Sunday to be clear in their purpose of agitation.
He said, “Dear Buharists, if #ENDSARS protests continue beyond today without being charged to #ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY, we shall organise counter protests. Watch out!”
Our investigations showed that some of the complaints against SARS are truly so because of the criminal behaviour of the supposed crime fighters.
Instances between 2014 and now abound where police officers or men are alleged to have been roping innocent citizens for no justifiable reason but self stomach and cheer wickedness of man to man.
A victim aming these instances narrated his experience: “I was arrested as an Okada man around 12.00 pm and my machine was put in their pickup van. They took me round in all their patrols until night when they finally landed at the station only for me to see my offence as ‘armed robery’ saying they arrested ribbing in the dark of the night. That was how I became a prisoner,” he said after eventually serving his jail term and had to seek for help from members of the public inside a Federal Mass bus conveying commuters from Sango Ota, Ogun State to Oshodi, Lagos State.
Another victim personally witnessed by our reporters happened at Ifo.
Seated besides the reporter in a bus on the way from Abeokuta to Lagos, the victim who was later given the Journalist’s phone number to call him to help him out, made a call home.
He said, “I am on my way to Sango. I was robbed by armed robber and my Okada was stolen. I ran to police station in Ifo to report. What I was told at the counter shocked me. They said they had to detain me because they were not sure if I was not the armed robber that stole the machine and so that they would detain me until end of their investigation and perhaps they were able to see the Okada. God just helped me now and they released me after spending a night with them and I need to run for my life.”
It was at this point that attention of the journalist was drawn to the touching plight of the poor Okada man and upon interview still inside the bus, more leads were released and contact was given for the victim to call. He however did not call up till date.
As for SARS operatives, another eyewitness account said, “Oga, forget! This Nigeria is not a country. Right in our present like this a man we later got to know was being chased by SARS, ran into a compound here (near the market at TollGate of Lagos/Ogun boundary) because the gate was open. He jumped the fence into other street.
“The SARS came, entered the compound and started shouting, ‘Where is the boy!’ An elderly man-landlord came out to them and he said he didn’t know which boy they were talking about. They pounced in him and beat him to stupour. So if you are talking about Nigeria, forget it, if you cannot fight for yourself, Nigeria cannot fight for you because the people waging war against us citizens of the country are not criminals but police officers paid by government,” the frustrated market woman said.
There have been many other instances of police brutality that put people promoting the image of police look stupid members of the public, all of which are on record.
Our investigations however revealed the demographic dimension to the attitudes both of police officers and citizens.
In a post Saturday on his Facebook handle, a Lagos Islamic scholar and television broadcaster, Amir Qamarudeen Ajala, asked a comments extracting question with intention to know some of the truths not open to him about #ENDSARS campaign, wondering why no North state joined.
“How many Northern States have joined the END SARS CAMPAIGN Just Asking ?” He asked.
One Adetokunbo Adeola, commenting, said, “They don’t harrass them in d north as much as they harrass people here in the south and east. They dare not try all d rubbish they do here in d north.”
Another person, Lukman Oladipupo Agbomabiwon commented, “To d sas operatives,na only we southern part of Nigeria be odaran…”
A major comment by a source not wanting his name mentioned said:
“How many of the SARS operatives harassing us in our South are Northerners? The last time I checked, they were our own Southerners in the Force who use the power they have to oppress us. If you believe and agree, then let it go viral.
“I have never hidden my thought about Northerners of Nigeria that they are the best behaved part but sentiment won’t let our people say it aloud.
“I have traveled from Abuja to Sokoto by road and so have seen how police behave at checking points. They even have more than we have: Immigration checkpoint. Those Immigration operatives will bring you down, if it is commercial space shuttle car or bigger bus and they know how to separate black Nigerians from black other Africans. Someone told me by immunisation mark side.
“We keep blaming North because we see them using their share of the national good to go round them yet, the same share is available to us, but just few of us Southerners share it among themselves.
“Now to answer your posted question Amir,
It is because the North is not like the South that no Northerner does some of these protests that we do.
“For instance, we pay for electricity transformer and poles here to these private business owners called DisCos but in the North, and I know of one example in a Southern populated area in Sokoto (MABERA), where the Southerners went to task themselves to pay for transformer. They had started contributing money until they got to the homes of the Hausa there asking them to contribute. They were shocked to hear: “It is not our business to buy transformer for NEPA”. When they are ready, they will bring it or the government would pay.
“Alas! The DisCo had to bring it when they were actually ready, two weeks after.
“You see, I choose to stand with these Northerners because they have no cause to be like we are. We call them unschooled but they apply more educational skills than we that are schooled apply. They are never in a hurry and they don’t agitate over what they don’t have either by Allah or by government. If they need anything for government to do, they know how to ask: VOTE. And they don’t do voting apparty like we do.
“Let me stop here,” he said.
The source said, “At this point, Lauretta Onochie is quite correct. While we cry over SARS or police reform, we should cry also for ourselves to be attitudinally reformed. How we do this comes from both government and citizens. The North should not be expected to cry over SARS where, as SARS operatives and citizens from that part of the country, fear of God and loyalty to the country Nigeria are on the high display?
“We Southern people, who wake up in the morning and curse Nigeria our country, cannot expect the Northern people with their almost 100% self contentment and daily prayers for their country to share the frustrations we inflicted on ourselves. How do you expect the country you curse daily to favour you? Impossible. So, if we want our condition to change from bad to good, we should change our attitude. We should be well reformed as citizens because those SARS operatives and other bad eggs in the security and other public agencies got into the system from among us,” he said.
Slapping an armed police officer condemned, as call goes for all-round reformation including of citizens
The coast is now getting clearer for the world to see how the reform citizens seek should not be restricted to police alone but also that it should also seekers of the reform need urgently to themselves be reformed.
This was as Lauretta Onochie, Digital and Social Media Aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, reacted to a video clip now in circulation in which a Nigerian has the audacity to slap an armed police officer on a highway.
Although the police reform exercise is still ongoing, the restraint by the AK47 carrying officer from responding with the known way of pulling the trigger against such unruly citizen shows the nation is now beginning to have a professional policing working.
Considering the number of the citizens on the policemen on duty, to avoid being mobbed, the slapped officer simply moved away from the door and when they advanced towards him, he shot into the ground and his attacks ran back.
In the reaction posted on her Facebook handle Saturday night, Lauretta Onochie said all Nigerians need a change of attitude.
“We all need to #CHANGE the way we react to situations.
A little respect for one another, goes a long way in fostering peaceful co-existence.
“We need an all round reformation, Citizens too. #Bullying & #Confrontation are a total waste of time.
“I applaud this POLICE OFFICER for applying common sense. #ITotallyEndorseReforms #Accountability,” she said.
In a separate post by another patriotic citizen, Idris Ahmad, it was advised that the protesters for #ENDSARS should change their tag to #ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY or they face counter protests after Sunday October 11, 2020.
The DEFENDER reports there has been resentment in certain quarters against #ENDSARS as some Nigerians warn it is a protests organised by ‘Yahoo Yahoo Boys’ because of the hear they face with operatives of the crack police unit.
To this end, Idris Ahmad, a string and diehard supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari, addressed fellow Buharists on his verified Facebook handle early Sunday morning asked by them to brace up for the next action if #ENDSARS protesters fail after Sunday to be clear in their purpose of agitation.
He said, “Dear Buharists, if #ENDSARS protests continue beyond today without being charged to #ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY, we shall organise counter protests. Watch out!”
How bad eggs make noble job ridiculous
Our investigations showed that some of the complaints against SARS are truly so because of the criminal behaviour of the supposed crime fighters.
Instances between 2014 and now abound where police officers or men are alleged to have been roping innocent citizens for no justifiable reason but self stomach and cheer wickedness of man to man.
A victim aming these instances narrated his experience: “I was arrested as an Okada man around 12.00 pm and my machine was put in their pickup van. They took me round in all their patrols until night when they finally landed at the station only for me to see my offence as ‘armed robery’ saying they arrested ribbing in the dark of the night. That was how I became a prisoner,” he said after eventually serving his jail term and had to seek for help from members of the public inside a Federal Mass bus conveying commuters from Sango Ota, Ogun State to Oshodi, Lagos State.
Another victim personally witnessed by our reporters happened at Ifo.
Seated besides the reporter in a bus on the way from Abeokuta to Lagos, the victim who was later given the Journalist’s phone number to call him to help him out, made a call home.
He said, “I am on my way to Sango. I was robbed by armed robber and my Okada was stolen. I ran to police station in Ifo to report. What I was told at the counter shocked me. They said they had to detain me because they were not sure if I was not the armed robber that stole the machine and so that they would detain me until end of their investigation and perhaps they were able to see the Okada. God just helped me now and they released me after spending a night with them and I need to run for my life.”
It was at this point that attention of the journalist was drawn to the touching plight of the poor Okada man and upon interview still inside the bus, more leads were released and contact was given for the victim to call. He however did not call up till date.
As for SARS operatives, another eyewitness account said, “Oga, forget! This Nigeria is not a country. Right in our present like this a man we later got to know was being chased by SARS, ran into a compound here (near the market at TollGate of Lagos/Ogun boundary) because the gate was open. He jumped the fence into other street.
“The SARS came, entered the compound and started shouting, ‘Where is the boy!’ An elderly man-landlord came out to them and he said he didn’t know which boy they were talking about. They pounced in him and beat him to stupour. So if you are talking about Nigeria, forget it, if you cannot fight for yourself, Nigeria cannot fight for you because the people waging war against us citizens of the country are not criminals but police officers paid by government,” the frustrated market woman said.
There have been many other instances of police brutality that put people promoting the image of police look stupid members of the public, all of which are on record.
Our investigations however revealed the demographic dimension to the attitudes both of police officers and citizens.
In a post Saturday on his Facebook handle, a Lagos Islamic scholar and television broadcaster, Amir Qamarudeen Ajala, asked a comments extracting question with intention to know some of the truths not open to him about #ENDSARS campaign, wondering why no North state joined.
“How many Northern States have joined the END SARS CAMPAIGN Just Asking ?” He asked.
One Adetokunbo Adeola, commenting, said, “They don’t harrass them in d north as much as they harrass people here in the south and east. They dare not try all d rubbish they do here in d north.”
Another person, Lukman Oladipupo Agbomabiwon commented, “To d sas operatives,na only we southern part of Nigeria be odaran…”
A major comment by a source not wanting his name mentioned said:
“How many of the SARS operatives harassing us in our South are Northerners? The last time I checked, they were our own Southerners in the Force who use the power they have to oppress us. If you believe and agree, then let it go viral.
“I have never hidden my thought about Northerners of Nigeria that they are the best behaved part but sentiment won’t let our people say it aloud.
“I have traveled from Abuja to Sokoto by road and so have seen how police behave at checking points. They even have more than we have: Immigration checkpoint. Those Immigration operatives will bring you down, if it is commercial space shuttle car or bigger bus and they know how to separate black Nigerians from black other Africans. Someone told me by immunisation mark side.
“We keep blaming North because we see them using their share of the national good to go round them yet, the same share is available to us, but just few of us Southerners share it among themselves.
“Now to answer your posted question Amir,
It is because the North is not like the South that no Northerner does some of these protests that we do.
“For instance, we pay for electricity transformer and poles here to these private business owners called DisCos but in the North, and I know of one example in a Southern populated area in Sokoto (MABERA), where the Southerners went to task themselves to pay for transformer. They had started contributing money until they got to the homes of the Hausa there asking them to contribute. They were shocked to hear: “It is not our business to buy transformer for NEPA”. When they are ready, they will bring it or the government would pay.
“Alas! The DisCo had to bring it when they were actually ready, two weeks after.
“You see, I choose to stand with these Northerners because they have no cause to be like we are. We call them unschooled but they apply more educational skills than we that are schooled apply. They are never in a hurry and they don’t agitate over what they don’t have either by Allah or by government. If they need anything for government to do, they know how to ask: VOTE. And they don’t do voting apparty like we do.
“Let me stop here,” he said.
The source said, “At this point, Lauretta Onochie is quite correct. While we cry over SARS or police reform, we should cry also for ourselves to be attitudinally reformed. How we do this cones from both government and citizens. The North should not be expected to cry over SARS when as SARS operatives and citizens from that part of the country, fear of God and loyalty to the country Nigeria are on the high display?
“We Southern people, who wake up in the morning and curse Nigeria our country, cannot expect the Northern people with their almost 100% self contentment and daily prayers for their country to share the frustration we inflicted on ourselves. How do you expect the country you curse daily to favour you? Impossible. So, if we want our condition to change from bad, we should change our attitude. We should be well reformed as citizens because those SARS operatives and other bad eggs in the security and other public agencies got into the system from among us,” he said.
