Florence Uwaeme
It has been two weeks and since the story of Chima Ikwunado, a mechanic who was illegally arrested (and tortured to death) alongside four others went viral on all social media platforms.
The government of Rivers state and the Commissioner of police are yet to do anything to bring the killers of Chima to book.
Instead of assuring the public that they stand with the aggrieved residents of Port Harcourt, the police went ahead to arrest protesters.
Since protests are no longer legal in Rivers state, a coalition of civil society organizations and concerned residents of Rivers State have declared tomorrow Wednesday 29th January, “BLACK WEDNESDAY.”
Also Read: Editorial: Governor Wike, there is right to protest in a free society
Everyone is to wear black all day and tweet a picture with the hashtag #JusticeForChima #EndPoliceBrutality.
All you need to do is wear a black dress, take a picture with the above hashtag and post on all your social media handles.
It is appalling though, that the lives of the citizens of this country are not worth much. Government is about service to the people, and until the people start holding their elected leaders to account and cease from seeing them as demi-gods, much will not be achieved. Someone once said that the most important word in the Nigerian national anthem is the first (ARISE). Until this happens, change is a mirage.
In a society where those we pay to protect us turn around to become our killers with audacious immunity, where an innocent person is arrested, forced to write a false statement incriminating himself/herself and bullied into paying a huge amounts of money in order to regain freedom is not only deadly but it enmeshes residents in fear of being framed up by their protectors.
The criminal justice system in Nigeria is in deer need of total reform. We are tired of being scared once a police vehicle approaches us. We are tired of being reduced to mere killing spot by the men of the Nigerian police force.
