Ending SARS and Twisting the Tale

 One reason Government's fear protests is not because they do not see it as a form of feedback but because it is like a
tree about to fall, without anyone sure of where it will land.

Rtd Col Ahmadu Ali, in whose name a violent protest shook Nigeria in 1978, when he was Education Minister, told a story of how he encountered the protesters who did not know him. He said, he asked them what Ali did and they responded that they did not know but 'he should just go'.

Today, Nigerians whom many had forgotten, had it in them to protest, are protesting against Special Anti Robbery Squads. 

Examining the anatomy of the protests from the genesis, the result is that the SARS men who were to confront armed robbery somehow made a past time of searching for Internet fraudsters popularly called Yahoo boys.

In the process, a lot of innocent people were harassed.

Today, the people are saying enough is enough.

The twist in the tale is that Yahoo boys are being accused of sponsoring the protests. 

While that may be true,  I strongly suggest that the government of the day, does not relax but do everything in its power to restructure SARS to make them more responsive in their core mandate of fighting robbers.

While I agree that crime is crime, tackling Internet fraudsters should leave the streets and meet them on line where they operate. Sure the Police should do with more training in this regard.

Finally, to think that SARS is the only object of disaffection today, is to live in a fools paradise. The Government need some placating to do lest the protests snowball into other volatile areas like nepotism and diversion of funds.