Residents of Delta State are yet to come out of their shock from the loss of lives and destruction of property which characterized the hijacked peaceful protests against police brutality that began in Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state and spread across 17 other states.
It all began in October 2020 with a false alarm raised in a video circulated on Facebook against officers of operation safe Delta in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State by one Nicholas Makolomi, accusing the officers on patrol of killing occupants of a white Lexus SUV.
And in less than 24hours, youths were seen in an open truck conveying empty caskets all over the major roads in Ughelli, chanting songs for the disbandment of the Special Anti-robbery Squad police outfit, SARS, nationwide.
The End SARS protest which lasted for over two weeks saw the destruction of government and private properties in some parts of Delta State with an attempted jailbreak at the Warri correctional facility.
It’s exactly a year and the scenario that played out during the #EndSARS protest can’t be forgotten in a hurry.
And just last month, September 24th, a trigger happy police officer killed a birthday celebrant in the Ukwuani Council Area of Delta State, an incident that has begun to generate ripples again.
There is also the belief that even the judicial panel of inquiry set up by the state government to address issues and concerns raised by victims of police brutality had little impact.
While Nigerians are praying for a better relationship between uniform personnel and the public, victims of the disbanded SARS are also hoping that they could get the justice and compensation deserved.