The irrepressible seed of #endSARS
+ Nnamdi Kanu's trial
* The Naira/Dollar rate was calculated by averaging buying rates from several Nigerian FinTech startups.
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#endSARS is here to stay
As expected, the police tried to intimidate Nigerians who came out to mark the one-year anniversary of the #EndSARS protests on Wednesday. At the Lekki toll gate, even journalists were harassed and arrested for doing their jobs, re-echoing the reason why young people took to the streets in the first place in 2020.
Very little, if anything, has changed. The federal government has touted its disbandment of SARS and the setting-up of independent, judicial panels across states of the federation as signs of progress but the reality remains that police behaviour has remained unchanged.
Besides, the government has refused to acknowledge the killings of innocent protesters at Lekki toll gate, Alausa, and other areas on October 20, 2020, despite mounting evidence pointing to a premeditated massacre by security officials. On Wednesday, Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, reiterated his chorus that the entire episode was fake news and that no bodies have been found.
This diabolic rejection of facts by the federal government is, in many ways, reflective of the Muhammadu Buhari administration and its legacy. From the border closure to its foreign exchange policies to borrowing without accountability, Buhari lives in his own alternate reality and expects the world to catch up; except that his world is a lie bound to be exposed by the equanimity of time.
However, amid all the state violence on Wednesday, one thing was clear: Nigeria will never forget October 2020. It will remain a scar, a jihad for the very soul of this nation.
Shrinks and substance: The federal government says it has directed all security agencies to conduct periodic psychiatric evaluations and drug tests for gun-toting operatives, in order to limit the issue of human rights violations and extra-judicial killings.
What else is happening?
Nnamdi Kanu: The IPOB leader’s trial is expected to resume today in Abuja amid increasing insecurity across the South-East. The Federal Government has filed amended charges against him, but, as his lawyers have demanded, will the Department of State Services produce him in court?
Recep Erdogan: The Turkish leader met with President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday and claimed members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) that attempted to push him out of power through a failed coup in 2016 are currently in Nigeria. Both Presidents, while agreeing to partner in fighting terrorism, also signed eight agreements bordering on energy, defense, and other areas.
Nasir El-Rufai: The Kaduna State Governor believes the federal government should designate bandits as terrorists, so the military can unleash its full force on the armed gangs without running foul of international human rights practices.
Niger State: Gunmen have reportedly abducted 30 travellers along the Zungeru-Garin-Gabas highway, the latest, high-profile violent attack in the North-Central.
Tax evasion: A Lagos state tax appeal tribunal ruled that MultiChoice Nigeria has fulfilled the conditions required for the hearing of its appeal against the N1.8 trillion tax bill slammed on it by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). The start of the appeal hearing has been fixed for November 17.
Football: The Super Falcons defeated the Black Queens of Ghana 2-0 in a 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations qualifier. A second leg will take place in Ghana on October 24.
That’s it for today. Join me again tomorrow.