THE MANY LIES AND HALF TRUTHS THAT ACCOMPANIED THE #ENDSARS PROTEST
Upuu Nguher Jeremiah Esq
A lot of lies and half truths flooded various social media platforms during the protest against police Brutality in Nigeria. The #EndSARS protest gained a lot of global attention and had many people across and beyond the country expressing their satisfaction with the way and manner young Nigerians turned out in mass to take their destinies in their own hands.
However, now that the protest has gone to rest, perhaps with the hope of rising again, it is imperative to set some records straight in order to prevent the reoccurrence of certain acts which were perpetrated by people who had faith in these lies and were swayed by the “impeccable” channels through which they came forth.
A lot of Nigerian celebrities including Falz and social media influencers like Dr. Harvey Funmilayo shared on their Twitter handles that According to the UN Constitution, any protest that lasts for more than 30 days in a country will have the United Nations intervene in such a country. The extent of this intervention was not stated but it is important for us to know that it is a Lie, a big Lie and nothing but a big fat lie. Firstly, the UN does not have a Constitution. Secondly, the UN Charter bars the Organization from interfering in the domestic affairs of a country. For the avoidance of doubt,
According to article 2 (7) of the purposes and principles of the organisation, as contained in the charter:
“Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter; but this principle shall not prejudice the application of enforcement measures under Chapter Vll,”
By the above provision, one wonders why the UN will intervene in a Country where young people are embarking on a peaceful protest for a continuous period of 30 days. Even where instances of Human Right abuses occur, people must understand that there is an extent to which the UN or any other Country in the world, no matter how powerful, can interfere in the domestic affairs of a sovereign nation.
The second lie which played out at the Lekki Toll Gate is to the effect that any protestor who holds unto the Nigerian flag cannot be shot by a soldier. A lot of Nigerian celebrities shared it aggressively and even bought flags and distributed amongst protesters. The rest is history. May the souls of those who protested peacefully with a Nigerian flag in their hands and the Nigerian anthem one their lips, with assurances that they will not be shot at, but were shot and killed by the Nigerian Soldiers rest in peace. Amen.
A lot of other lies followed after the unfortunate night of 20/10 /2020 after the shooting at the Lekki Toll Gate. Davdo and a lot of other celebrities told the world that it was Bola Ahmed Tinubu who ordered the shootings. Unfortunately people believed or chose to believe even when it is elementary that Tinubu lacks whatever it takes to order even the Boys Brigade, Boys Scout or even the Nigeria Peace Corps to embark on a mission of that kind, talk more of ordering the Nigerian Army.
They also told people that Tinubu owned the Toll Gate. If this is true, then it means every single public property in Lagos, especially anyone that generates revenue belongs to Tinubu. It is easy to concede that Tinubu is the Political godfather of Lagos Politics and he enjoys royalties and the loyalties of his political sons, but saying he owns public properties in Lagos is telling a lie with a sinister motive. They also told us Tinubu had ran out of the Country and his son was kidnapped in London. Tissues of Lies! The effect of these lies can be seen on the current state of the headquarters of “The Nation Newspaper” and TVC News, Tinubu’s private investments. Oriental Hotel managed to survive after the management put out a banner to publicly deny Tinubu.
They didn’t stop, they shared pictures of people who allegedly died at the shoot out. Most of them turned out to be false. The guy in NYSC uniform was said to be on a movie set while the other man who carried a supposedly dead woman soaked in blood and covered with the Nigerian flag was later found out to be stage drama. Of course, Eniola Badmus also denied the rumor that she was killed that night.
They told us Oke was shot by a police bullet, his brother confirmed that they were attacked by hoodlums and Oke was stabbed by hoodlums.
Some people created accounts in the name of DJ Switch on Twitter to inform the world that there was a massacre which claimed 78 lives. DJ Switch came out to tell us much later that they handed the soldiers 15 dead bodies. The governor of Lagos who initially said there were no casualties has said two casualties have been confirmed. A lot of lies. No one knows the exact number of people who died. But it is obvious that there was no massacre but it is true, sad and unfortunate that the Nigerian Military actually shot and killed peaceful protesters on that night. May their souls rest in peace. Amen
These many lies led to the deaths of so many people. The burning of public and private properties was caused by these lies. These lied misled a lot of people. These lies emanated especially from celebrities and social media influencers the effect is devastating.
The #EndSARS protest is a genuine cause. Everyone saw it. Even the government saw reasons why they should listen to the yearnings of the young people and accepted to accede to all their demands. Today SARS is no more. Judicial panels have been set up by most states in Nigeria in line with the demands of the #EndSARS protesters.
Yet some voices are echoing in the background that “It is not over until it is over”. They have promised to return to the streets much later. I am not against that. But there must be a strategy this time. Now that SARS is no more, there has to be another reason for the protest. Bad Governance is generic. Which aspect of Bad Governance will be the theme of the protest? What do the protesters intend to achieve? How are they going to avoid their protests are not infiltrated by thugs whether hired or not, especially where security agents are not handy? At what point will they be willing to sit on the table with the government to dialogue because a protest should not be in perpetuity. Who will be the leaders?
These are salient questions. If anyone calls you to go out and protest without answering the above questions satisfactorily, ask them where they were at the night of 20/10/2020.
Going forward, we must dispense with lies and fake news. We must verify information before sharing especially when they emanate from human beings like us regardless of their status in the society. If we continue to share lies and half truths and the international community we are always calling upon comes to the realization that we are not being factual in our engagements, the integrity and genuineness of the protest would have been jeopardized and the image of the Country damaged.
Upuu Nguher Jeremiah Esq
#OverAndOut
