The Intellects Magazine supports the #ENDSARS #ENDSWATinNigeria #ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY #REFORMTHEPOLICE movement pioneered by Nigeria youths, and continues to lend a voice to building the kind of Nigeria we want posterity to remember us for.
In our article titled, ‘Federal Government’s Relief Parcel’, we reinstated what democracy should be, and the urged the Federal Government to prioritize the interest of Nigerians—that the labour of the heroes past be not in vain.
Interestingly, the #ENDSARS movement that began in Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri on Thursday, 8 October, 2020 illuminates the depth of the impunity in the Nigeria system. It also shows that Nigeria youths have grown weary of the yoke of oppression around their necks, and like Aisha Yesufu said, the youths want a nation “where the child of a nobody becomes somebody without knowing anybody.

What strikes the most is the unity and oneness! Everyone is saying one thing and watching each other’s back, ambulances arrive almost immediately, doctors are on ground giving first aid treatments to casualties, lawyers are working together, ensuring the release of arrested innocent protesters, TV stars are seen on the fore front, hunger is tackled, no loss of properties, no violence from protesters, no gender battle, no nepotism, no tribalism, just one people, speaking one language, identifying as humans and as Nigerians, yet without a unanimous leader, resisting every attempt made to bribe and deny the protesters their right to protest—that’s the Nigeria we want! The place where humans are priority, where no one is self-seeking, a land of harmony!

All over Nigeria since Thursday October 8, 2020, protesters are painting the picture of that Nigeria on the protest ground with teary glands tired of shedding tears, and are online building a strong network, hoping that the Federal Government will take a bold step and make things right—evidence that the people are not the problem, but the system and hence should be purged.

However, the solution is not creating another unit on impulse, nor calling for indoor talks—Nigeria youths cannot be fooled again. This what should be done:
All defaulting officers should be brought to book
The government should address Nigeria youths straight from the heart, and not with written scripts.
The government should ensure that a team be set up in each state to pay condolence visits to the bereaved.
The government should not redeploy the disbanded SARS officers until they have gone through medical and psychological tests, and re-orientation or training.
The entire police force must be reformed because if law enforcement agencies lack orderliness, then anarchy rules the society.
The government should increase the salary of the police force.
The government must duly establish the duties of anti-crime squad, take them off the streets and provide better technological means of getting them informed about crime locations and the perpetrators of crime.
An independent panel must be set up to address police misconduct in all states. The system must stop shielding bad officers.
The government should understand that every unit of the force requires trained minds; that’s the essence of sociologists, psychologists, philosophers, criminologists, and other crime detecting, or socio-humanity (social sciences and humanities) disciplines.
Getting protesters off the streets is not an issue, the issue is implementation, and restructuring Nigeria. Once the government deals with what brought the protesters to the street, the protesters will leave the streets. The system is bad but the protest shows the government is the problem, and not the people.

Attempting to lobby and divide this movement will not work because the movement has no leader, therefore all energy should be channeled towards creating a nation free of police brutality, where the child of nobody becomes somebody without knowing anybody, because “no Nigerian is more Nigerian than other Nigerians” (Aisha Yesufu).
In the same vein unleashing armed thugs on peaceful protesters will only fuel the protest! FG should wake up to their responsibilities.
This is democracy give the people good governance! SóróSóké!!!