By Oluwadamisi Adegbolagun

Over the last few decades, our world has seen atrocities committed at a rate never imagined. From the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in the United States in 2001 that left so many people dead; to the kidnapping of 276 female students from the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria in 2014; to the beheading of American journalist James Foley in 2014; we have seen an uptick in heinous crimes committed by terrorist organizations seeking to perpetrate as much destruction as possible on others.

What is most astounding about these gruesome acts of violence is the responsibility that terrorist organizations take, claiming ownership of the destruction and devastation left behind in the wake of such tragedies. I often wonder why they would want to be recognized for inflicting such havoc on others.

Wouldn’t it benefit them more to carry out these crimes anonymously without the disruption of military forces seeking to extinguish the terror they wish to inflict, allowing for more opportunities to carry out further destruction? If Osama Bin Laden (Al Qaeda), had not taken responsibility for the 9/11 attack on American soil, we may never have witnessed the infamous Operation Iraqi Freedom that spilled over into the land of Afghanistan and has continued for over 17 years, leading to the Great Recession of 2008 in the United States, impacting the overall world’s economy.

Or if Boko Haram, an Islamist extremist terrorist organization in North Eastern Nigeria did not take responsibility for the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping in 2014 and other murders, would they have achieved the recognition that they were seeking? The #BringBackOurGirls campaign launched Boko Haram’s dominance in Nigeria to the world, receiving mentions from former First Lady Michelle Obama, to top elites in Hollywood and artists like Beyonce Knowles-Carter. Or how the beheading of James Foley in Syria sparked an outcry that brought more troops to the Middle East than before, with ISIS claiming responsibility for his and many other beheadings, becoming the deadliest terrorist group in that region. But what is it that all these violent assaults have in common?

Kidnapping. Murder. Theft. Rape. Torture. Humiliation. Unlawful detention. Extrajudicial killings. Extortion. While many of these acts have been carried out by terrorist organizations across the globe over the last several years, they are also acts inflicted by the reprehensible unit of the Nigerian Police known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), with a long record of abuse against Nigerian citizens. The unit was founded in 1992 as one of the 14 units in the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department established to perform masked undercover operations to detain, investigate and prosecute people involved in violent crimes. So how is it that this unit slated to punish those committing such abhorrent crimes, became the ones committing the crimes? And why is it that the unit has not been disbanded, and is instead funded by the country’s own government that is supposed to protect and defend its citizens?

And why is it that 3 months ago, on October 20th, 2020, our own Nigerian citizens peacefully protesting the atrocities committed by SARS were gunned down and brutalized for voicing their demand for protection and safety from their elected officials during what has become known as the #LekkiTollGateMassacre?

The Merriam-Webster defines accountability as an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility; to account for one’s actions. In every one of these terrorist attacks, there is ACCOUNTABILITY by the terrorist organizations, taking ownership of the devastation inflicted. Do you think the Nigerian government has an OBLIGATION to its people to account for what happened? Do you think the Nigerian government has shown the WILLINGNESS to account for their actions?

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Do you think the Nigerian government will take RESPONSIBILITY for what happened? Unfortunately, not. Lagos State Governor Babijide Sanwo-Olu claimed on one occasion that only two demonstrators lost their lives, but then changed his story and claimed there was not an ounce of blood lost at the toll gate. He declared that there are no families searching for their missing relatives despite repeated claims otherwise by Nigerian citizens. So how do we continue to trust our government and elected officials when they are committing crimes against the Nigerian people and refusing to acknowledge or take responsibility for the choices and decisions that they made?

The great Thomas Paine once said, “A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” So why then would you trust a government, “a body of men”, that points fingers and refuses to take accountability for decisions made leading to the death of many of its own citizens?

A government trying to pivot from a history of human rights abuses under military rulers, you would think that the Nigerian government would be eager to show the world how the beacon of democracy is still shining. But instead that pressure became too hard to handle and the Nigerian government cracked under international pressure. They responded with force, mounting ways to sow discord and discredit the ever-growing movement.

These ARMED MILITARY personnel opened fire on peaceful protesters trying to enact positive change, calling on elected officials to protect them as citizens. Firing on peaceful protesters as they sang the Nigerian National Anthem, which ends its second verse with, “To build a nation where peace and justice shall reign”. Where is the justice for our fallen Nigerian youth peacefully protesting for justice to reign true? As I write this, we have just marked 3 months of the heartbreaking incident and till now, no one has claimed responsibility for sending troops to the streets of Lagos; not the Governor of the state and not the President of the Nation of Nigeria.

Are you still waiting to know who gave the order? I leave you with a quote from Ebikabowei Victor-Ben on an intro to a song titled Monsters you made by Burnaboy “If the government refuse to develop the region and continue the marginalization and injustice, the youths or the next people coming after us I think will be more brutal than what we have done”

Oluwadamisi Adegbolagun is a passionate Nigerian who writes on issues concerning the country and her people.

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