ENDSARS: Scaring the president to scam the public-Bala Ibrahim

Once again, Nigeria and Nigerians, are witnessing another scene similar to a soap opera, which if not properly controlled, may snowball into a revolution, with the potential of consuming even the President.

The End SARS campaign is increasingly changing to the colour of a crime, carefully created to comfort the clamour of the enemies of the Buhari administration. I hope the government is watching well, and consciously reading the body language of the players and the planners.

Since last week, protests have erupted in Nigeria, over the country’s “claimed” hated Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), with a large number of the youth engaging in demonstrations, demanding for police reforms.

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The protesters have succeeded in forcing the president to disband the unit. But the planners are not satisfied. I think they want the President to go.

In a manner capable of culminating into a caricature calamity or even catastrophe, the organizers are daily changing the goal post of the game. I hope the government is watching well, and consciously reading the body language of the players and the planners.

For some reasons, which I find hard to fathom, PMB always fall victim to the plots and machinations of his adversaries, who are relentless in devising the tricks and tactics to trounce him. Sometimes even to the point of open humiliation. What they couldn’t get in court, they now want to get it with a cutlass.

Much as everyone is averse to the excesses of some members of the elite police, otherwise called SARS, only the thoughtless would downplay their importance, particularly if one happens to play prey to the punishable.

One needs not to dig deep, to see the hidden hands of some influential members of the society, whose children, cronies and the assignees of their proceeds of crime, must have been touched by the operatives of SARS, and who are now trying to arm-twist the President, to permit the arrival of anarchy or the perpetuation of lawlessness.I hope the government is watching well, and consciously reading the body language of the players and the planners.

All over the world, no country runs a police force that would not go after big-time criminals, murderers, armed robbers or ritualists. It’s not possible, because advocating such, is akin to the promotion of Pandemonium. Why should one have an issue with those after hardened criminals?

Better than anyone, the President is very much aware of the circumstances that lead to the creation, or emergence of the National Security Organization, otherwise called the NSO, and how they relate to the relevance of the Police today. Before the coming of the NSO, and faced by so many security challenges of the post-civil war period, the government set up the E- Branch in the Nigeria police force.

The E-branch later transformed into the NSO, through a decree by the military administration of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, to which Mr President was a part. This was after the aborted coup, led by col. Sukar Dimka in 1976, which resulted in the loss of the life of former Head of State, Gen. Murtala Mohammed. The NSO was given the mandate of co-ordinating Internal Security, Foreign Intelligence and counterintelligence activities.

It was charged with the detection and prevention of any crime against the security of the state, including a treasonable felony.

In something similar to the anti-SARS shenanigans, but differently orchestrated, underminers of the system have made several attempts to ridicule the NSO, by accusing it of carrying out systematic and widespread human rights abuses. But aware of the consequences of dancing to the tune of such saboteurs, the government refused to give in to such antics.

In 1986, President Ibrahim Babangida, through a decree, announced the dissolution of the NSO, and the formation of State Security Services, otherwise called the SSS, under the Office of the Co-ordinator of National Security. Still, the SSS was charged with the responsibility of overseeing domestic intelligence, with a seasoned police officer, Isamaila Gwarzo as the head. The nomenclature of the SSS later changed to the DSS.

The importance of the police in central governance cannot be overemphasized. In fact, the police is called the mother of all forces. All forces were derived from the police. The military, DSS, NIA, DIA, FRSC, CUSTOM, IMMIGRATION, PRISONS, DRUGS LAW etc came out from the Nigeria police.

Going by the advocacy of the sponsors of the anti-SARS protests, it is very clear they are up to something sinister, because, despite answering to their key demands, the campaigners only changed gear, and begin to ask for more. They are virtually asking for the scrapping of the police force as a whole.

It may interest the President to look very well, and relate the link between the hidden hands behind the agitation against SARS, the Yahoo boys and those behind them, along with the forces that removed Lawal Musa Daura from the headship of the DSS.

The writing is clear on the wall, and I hope Mr. President would not just sit down and permit a repeat of what happened in the past, because of the deceit of the enemy within.

The motive is tilting towards a revolution, and having succeeded in taking over the headship of intelligence gathering, from the strongest loyalist of the President, their mission is almost accomplished. I hope the government is watching well, and consciously reading the body language of the players and the planners.

Like they have done before, in scaring the President to drop Hajiya Amina Zakari from being the first female INEC Chairman, despite her attested and acclaimed qualities, scaring the President to refuse to extend the tenure of IGP Ibrahim Idris, despite his attested and acclaimed qualities and loyalty, scaring the President to accept the unlawful removal of Mallam Lawal Daura, despite his exalted experience and unalloyed loyalty, they want to scam the public, by scaring the President to surrender the police through surrogacy.

PMB should wake up and smell the coffee, by charging the intransigents and their hidden sponsors, with nothing but a felony.

Bala Ibrahim, a Media Advisor writes from Abuja.