On Sunday, October 11, Nigerians living in Berlin gathered in front of the Nigerian embassy at Neue Jakobstraße to join voices with millions of other Nigerians back home calling for an end to SARS.
Like all protests in Germany, it had to be registered. Registration means that the police would be aware and be deployed to the venue of protest as silent observers and possible peacekeepers, should need be.
What was unusual about this protest, however, was that at some point, two of the Nigerian protesters (Segun Famisa and Ayo Aduku ) decided to act out how members of the SARS unit harass Nigerians.
A dialogue ensued, then a push, and then a scuffle, just like a typical SARS interaction would be. But before the scene could act itself out, the German police had exited their van in haste, running towards these two actors, attempting to mediate.
The other protesters stopped the police in their path. No, alles gut - all is good - they told the police, alles gut. They are not the actual hoodlums, you see, they are merely acting the part — this is the SARS script.