#End Sars (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) Protests In Nigeria: Organisational Challenges And Lessons For State-Society Relations
Sofiri Joab-Peterside
Department of Sociology, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Keywords: #End SARS, Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Protests, CACOVID, Policing, Nigeria
Abstract
The orienting philosophy of policing in Nigeria is rooted in colonialism which seeks to intimidate, dominate and exploit the resources of precolonial communities and mete out punishment to those who oppose colonial incursion because the aim of colonialism was subjugation of the “natives” to serve as deterrents. Consequently, contemporary Nigeria Police, not just its special unit called Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), is not truly a civil and friendly police force. This is so because at independence in 1960, the Post-Colonial Police was neither decolonized nor reformed to protect Nigerians and communities little wonder, citizens are still treated as potential criminals and insurgents against State supremacy who must be intimidated to submission. Like its colonial counterpart, present day Nigeria Police is an instrument of the State rather than an institution dedicated to protecting and serving Nigerian people. They are reputed for transferred aggression because they are poorly paid; many of them were asked by their superiors to buy their uniforms; they work under the rain without rain coats and during the harmattan without sweaters. Oftentimes, they have to fuel the vehicle that take them out for duty or they have to buy writing materials for witness statement. All these cases of maltreatment by officialdom made the average police man or woman hardened, uncivil and corrupt. Facts at the disposal of the paper show that different class of protesters had different interests hence, each was likely to promote policies/actions in its own favour. The non-coincidence of individuals and State interest, and the potential for collusion was at the heart of violent dispositions of protesters.