Protests Against Police Brutality in Nigeria "step in the right direction," Prelate Says

In the report shared with ACI Africa, Bishop Adesina’s Secretary, Fr. Augustine Adetola quotes the Bishop as saying that the protests go beyond calling for an end to cruelty from security agents to making Nigeria safe for all her citizens. 

“The cry goes beyond ending Police brutality in the country; the cry is about making Nigeria a better and a safe place for citizens where they can walk around without fear of intimidation from those meant to protect their lives,” Bishop Adesina says in the report. 

He adds, “The cry of the youths and indeed every Nigerian to EndSARS is a cry to put an end to every form of brutality and oppression Nigerians face daily from those meant to protect their lives." 

Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins of Nigeria’s Lagos Archdiocese is among Church leaders in the country who have also expressed their support for the protests.

In his October 10 message, a day before SARS was disbanded, Archbishop Adewale had called for a "thorough and realistic review of the entire structure of the Police Force in order to restore its integrity."

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Meanwhile, in their October 13 collective statement, the members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) welcomed the decision of the country’s government to disband the controversial Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), whose members have been accused of committing various atrocities.

CAN members, however, protested the decision to redeploy SARS officers to other security organs in the West African nation.

In the October 14 report issued on the occasion of Bishop Adesina’s 31^st Priestly Anniversary, the Nigerian Prelate is quoted as also lamenting the killings and arrests of protestors witnessed during the ongoing national demonstrations. 

“Arresting and killing innocent citizens for protesting is part of the so many wrongs in our country that must be addressed by the government,” Bishop Adesina says and laments, “It is quite unfair to lose so many citizens of the country due to trigger-happy Police who are supposed to protect the lives of the citizens." 

He adds in reference to the killing and apprehension of demonstrators, "This is why the Police must be reformed and all stakeholders in the country must join this agitation and movement for the reformation of the Police in Nigeria. The killings are too much and we must all speak out."  

The 56-year-old Prelate  is also quoted as condemning the October 9 incident where youths in Ijebu Ode vandalized a police station while protesting. 

“Peaceful protest is a civil right for every citizen,” the Nigerian Prelate says and encourages demonstrators to protest without interfering with the day-to-day activities of other citizens. 

Bishop Adesina calls on the country’s leadership to listen to "the voice of the people as it is the voice of God." 

To those in leadership in the West African nation, the Nigerian Prelate says, “Now is the time for the Government to really show and prove that they are actually for the people who elected them." 

In the October 14 report, Bishop Adesina’s Secretary, Fr. Augustine also says that the Bishop charged Nigeria’s Government to "act and act in favor of the cry of the many Nigerian youths who have suffered intimidation in the hands of those meant to protect them." 

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Besides police brutality, which Bishop Adesina says must end, the Local Ordinary of Ijebu-Ode also calls on the government to deliver its campaign promises and "make life better for every Nigerian." 

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.