Here's why you can't stop being angry now
The protests have been going on for over a week now with each day bringing even more intensity than the last. In such situations, it’s normal to feel tired. But you can’t be tired. We need you.
It’s been going on for over a week. Everywhere, it’s #EndSARS or something related. Conversations online and offline have mostly been connected to the protests. Twitter timelines have been fully colonised by the hashtags. #EndSARS is everywhere.
I agree with anyone who thinks that people are getting tired. This is not people being tired of the bad things happening or being tired of demanding that the government function for once, it’s just people being tired of the routine. Tweet, retweet, go out, come back, everything right now is all about the protests. It’s only human to want some breathing space; some space to advertise your services or products, space for banter, etc.
But you can’t be tired. We need you. The protesters out in the sun and in the rain need you. Our counterparts currently facing persecution and prosecution by the police need you. The #EndSARS movement needs you!
I tweeted about compiling a list of SARS victims. On my list, I have more than 50 names. Some of these names might not even be the real names of the victims but there is no way to verify. I also have numbers on my list because there is no way to get the names of those who were killed. “Aba 12” is an example of such. We will never get to know their names because of the brutal animals in SARS. The people on my list were reduced to mere names on a list by SARS. Over 50 families were plunged into tragedy, grief and confusion by SARS. Some kids are currently growing up without a father because of trigger-happy policemen. People’s sons were killed because of a politician’s manipulation of the police force. People are taken out of dungeons at midnight, never to return by the base individuals in SARS.
We are right to be angry and we should keep being angry – you should keep being angry.
All we know about SARS brutality does not scratch the surface of their atrocities and you know that. In all of this, the government is trying to play with us. Dangling various bones, wondering which one we will collect. Show them that we are not collecting their bones. We do not want their bones, we want a conducive environment for us to buy whole animals for ourselves freely.
You should be pissed at the government, and you should channel that anger into the protests. Whether you are outside or you are on your phone, show them that we are angry! We hate their system and we don’t want it anymore! Show them that the youths want justice for the fallen, inside-out, upside-down reforms of the Nigerian Police Force, the end of SARS and not just a re-christening, the resignation of all incompetent individuals at various levels of power and prosecution of all officers shown to have misconducted themselves.
Be angry. We need you to be angry if we are to #EndSARS.