IJAW PEOPLES NETWORK FOR NONVIOLENCE, SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT ( IPENNSAD)
*WE STAND WITH #ENDSARS TO THE END.*
The IPENNSAD arising from an emergency meeting on the State of the Nation make bold to state that we support in whole the #EndSARS protest rocking all major cities of Nigeria calling for an end to obvious Police brutality and inhumanity.
IPENNSAD in recognition of the burning issues facing the country setup a Constitution Review Committee, to contribute far reaching proposals for the complete overhaul and reform of the Nigeria Police Force, the military and paramilitary organizations.
IPENNSAD in the said proposals which will be made public for the digestion of the general public, lamented the gross ineptitude, lack of good public relation, corruption, lack of capacity to build a 21st century policing techniques, lack of close monitoring and institutional appraisal etc. It is a known fact that the entire Police, Paramilitary and Military architecture of the country smirks of extortion, brutality, extrajudicial killings and inhumanity. This must stop.
Still fresh in our memory is absurdities witnessed during the Covid-19 lockdown where the police milked the poor, hungry and vulnerable masses. We also remember POS carrying policemen extorting money and making realtime transfers from the bank accounts of Nigerians at gun point. Those who resist them are labelled as criminals, yahoo-boys and either shot or detained without charges.
IPENNSAD's position is that the Police hierarchy cannot feign ignorance of police brutality, extrajudicial killings, extortion etc over the years. Respectfully, IPENNSAD salute and hail the thousands of hardworking, genuine and sincere police officers and men as they are not the subject of the discussion.
The Areas of focus by IPENNSAD on Police Reforms as submitted to the Senate of the National Assembly bothered around;
1. Complete overhaul and adequate funding for the Police.
2. Sound and foolproof recruitment system.
3. Comprehensive welfare package and remuneration.
4. Proper reorientation of officers through intermittent training and seminars in line with best practices for modern policing.
5. Good operational tools and logistics.
6. Change of Uniform.
7. Command system modernization.
8 Civil relationship ( The Police is actually Civil and is not supposed to look like anything military)
9. Etc....
The Police Force is civil in nature and it has never been lumped together with the military any time in history. The Police is seen as part of the people. Unfortunately this is not the case in Nigeria. In Nigeria, the police is insulated and immune from the troubles of the burdened Nigerian people. They can harass, beat, torture, maim over flimsy issues. #EndSARS is not spontaneous. It is bottled up anger over the years.
The police is supposed to be imbedded in the people and that is what will give the people assurance to give credible information to the police in crime fighting. Information is key. No country allow their police to patrol the streets and highways with machine guns and bombs to scare away would-be criminals. How backward! Crime is today preemptively fought through intelligence gathering and no longer by show of force. How has it even worked? The police is known to complain that Nigerians do not share intelligent information with them. How will it be possible when issues of mutual trust is there? The manner a particular society fights crime is also an index of its development. How developed is Nigeria? Shooting in the air to scare people in 2020?
The Nigerian Police Force today was the same Colonial Police "Force" of the British West African Police. The Nigerian Army we inherited was the same West African Frontier Force. It will be very unfair to blame the British for what Nigeria turned out to be. it is only a foolish man that accept a name given to him by his enemy! In China, they called it "the peoples Army". When their is snow on the road, the Army will clear the roads and help build home for homeless people during natural disasters. The people owned the Army and not the Army owning the people.
The best we can do if are interested in seeing ourselves as Nigerians in the future is to aggressively overhaul the foundation of the country. The skewed 1999 Constitution which does not have the input of the Nigerian people is just a fraction of the foundational problems deviling Nigeria. Stopping at the Constitutional Reforms is not enough! We must be ready to build a nation from this country. We are not ready and we have never been ready.
IPENNSAD expresses joy that the Nigerian youths are awake finally but we do not subscribe to violent protest in any guise. A wise man said that, "a man who uses violence is afraid of reason". We agree there is pent up anger and gloom in the land. A lot of protests are going on in the world. The one of Nigeria should not take any unnecessarily dangerous path. There has been #BlackLivesMatter which fizzled out due to covid-19. There was protest in Lebanon after the Port blast. There is protest in Belarus and many other countries. What ever we must do let us do it without the use of force.
IPENNSAD is saddened by the new of the attacks on protesters by alleged hoodlums. This has given the noble aspirations of the protest a negative colouration. The laws of the land protest the right to peacefully protest and for the protesters to be protected by the state. A situation were protesters are openly attacked by unknown persons shows the weak fabric of the Nigerian State.
Like a fairytale, IPENNSAD is finding it difficult to come to terms with what has come to be known as the " Lekki Shooting". It is just too unimaginable. We want to believe it didn't happen. IPENNSAD commensurate with all protesters who have suffered harm or threat to harm in the course of the peaceful protest. We share the pain. Our brothers, sisters and compatriots who lost their lives to enthrone a better Nigeria are heroes They are heroes of today and the future. We that are alive must respect them by protesting peacefully while been vigilant and security conscious.
IPENNSAD urge the government to be empathetic to the sufferings of the Nigerian people and respect them for once. Government should make sure all highhandedness is investigated and brought to book. This is how things should be done. The delay in inviting the youths for a comprehensive dialogue and assurance lead to the violent dimension of the protest. Nigerians are only the "happiest people in the world" because our people do not want to discomfort themselves and confront our leaders to demand for a good life. A stitch in time will have saved 49 lives in Lekki. We pray God to help Nigeria and Nigerians surmount the daunting national challenges of the time.
#EndSARS....!!!
#WeRise!!!
🇳🇬✊🏾🇳🇬
Signed....
Barr. Afoegba Goody,
Spokesman.
*IJAW PEOPLE NETWORK FOR NONVIOLENCE, SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT (IPENNSAD)*
Warri, Delta State.
09060360838
1. President: Mr. Pedro Oguta.
2. Secretary : Comr. Haisley Lamighan.
3. Spokesman: Barr. Afoegba Goody.
4. Woman leader: Miss Brubor Torkere Mary.
5. Legal Adviser: Barr. Timi Roland.
5. Bayelsa State coordinator: Haisley Lamighan.
6. Edo State /Ondo State coordinator: Com. Goodluck Hills.
7. Rivers State/Akwa Ibom State Coordinator: Barr. Prince Dieprieye.
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