By Abiodun Popoola

COVID-19 Lockdown: Dehumanisation and Brutality against Nigerians by Security Agents

A theory is at the root of the growing trend where the military and police enforce government lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). But, the reality is that the security forces, especially the soldiers, traditionally have a less than friendly reputation with the populace. The enforcement of lockdown regulations has resulted in reported incidents against the security agents, ranging from assault, torture, harassment, obstruction and discharging of firearm.

Expectedly, the incessant heinous, nefarious and growing dehumanisation and killing of innocent Nigerians, chiefly in the south, by Nigeria’s Armed Forces cannot be over-emphasized. Majority of us have seen the viral video of bestial soldiers, mostly from the northern extraction, ordering people to swim in sewage. That is the height of disservice to humanity. Not too long ago, a motorist identified as Joseph was shot dead in Warri, Delta State by a soldier for allegedly flouting the state government’s stay-at-home order. This incident was greeted with a lot of criticism and backlash from the populace.

Recently in Calabar, the capital city of Cross River, a taxi driver was reportedly beaten to dead by security operatives for allegedly conveying passengers who were not wearing face masks. Similarly, a police officer in Abia State allegedly killed a petrol station attendant in the course of chasing and arresting a defaulting driver. In the same vein, the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Medical Guild raised the alarm over an allegedly undue harassment of health workers by men of the Nigerian Police Force.

The swift deployment of military personnel in civil cases such as this is unacceptable. There have been numerous reports of brutality and violence by security agents all over the country, which is alarming and distasteful.