It is as if the EndSARS protests of October, 2020 never happened. Police wickedness and brutality have returned with full force and the hapless youth are once again being targeted for intimidation, harassment, extortion and even killing.

This was exactly what brought out the Nigerian youth in weeks of protests which ended with the Lekki Toll Gate Massacre on October 20, 2020. The massacre sparked off further riots that took a heavy toll on the property of the Lagos State Government with widespread arson and looting of malls, warehouses, shops and businesses. It also led to the death of over 80 people, including 22 policemen and the burning of 205 police stations.

Penultimate Thursday, some police officers used a Sienna bus to run over a young man they had handcuffed in Ekpoma, Edo State. Eye witnesses disclosed that the policemen had apprehended the man and wanted to search his phone. Apparently, he resisted and was handcuffed. The crowd that gathered refused to let the policemen take their catch away.

A horrifying viral video of the man lying on the ground in handcuffs and being run over by the policemen with the bus has been described as unpolice by the Force Headquarters Spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi. Also, the Acting Inspector General of the Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has disbanded the police team while the men are being sanctioned according to Police rules.

What else could provoke a group of policemen to mete such wickedness to a citizen if not the same anti-people impulses that led to the EndSARS upheaval? The people turned against those constitutionally mandated to protect them and maintain order. In some parts of the country (especially the South-East), it was no longer safe for policemen to wear their uniforms publicly for fear of being targeted by the so-called unknown gunmen.

The comprehensive reform of the Nigeria Police Force is a major assignment waiting for Ag. IGP Egbetokun and his team. This reform should actually be a regime agenda of President Bola Tinubu. The Police must be weaned of their current culture of barbarism where officers and men of the force are competing with common criminals in law-breaking.

We want to see a new Police Force that is well paid, housed, kitted and trained to fit into this unfolding digital era. We want a Police Force that recognizes itself as the guardian of the law and protector of the citizenry. The neglect of our police officers and their resort to criminality to survive must stop.

We call for the prosecution of the erring officers with the full weight of the law and in a manner that will send a message to other officers.

We pray for the full recovery of the victim and urge his family and friends to sue the Police.