Police said they have arrested and paraded some persons who allegedly looted ShopRite during the anti Xenophobia protest in Lagos.
The Police authorities said that about 112 of them who were arrested are being charged to court.
I don’t defend criminality, however, considering the circumstances that precipitated the invasion of ShopRite by irate youths, I expect the Police to return the looted items to ShopRite, reprimand the youths and set them free.
The Nigerian police should not be seen to be selectively proactive, their vigilance and commitment should be all round.
I watched real live videos of South Africans looting Nigerian shops and Supermarkets in South Africa, and all that the Police did was to beat them with Barton.
Many Nigerians have been murdered by criminally minded South Africans in the name of Xenophobia, yet, no single person has been charged to court. Are we saying that items sold in ShopRite Nigeria is more valuable than the lives of Nigerians in South Africa?
There’s what is called “Balance of Terror” in International Relations/Politics, and as far as I’m concerned, the protests carried out in Nigeria, even though didn’t equal the atrocities committed by South Africans, falls within Balance of Terror.
The Police would be sending a bad signal and unconsciously destroying the spirit of resistance in Nigerian youths, especially when their country or citizens are under attack if they go ahead to charge the youths to court.
The key to preventing future occurrence is to get Nigerians out of South Africa, solve the problems that led to the migration of desperation by Nigerians and get Nigeria working, and above all, review our diplomatic relationship and engagements with South Africa.
The worst form of oppression is internal oppression, and for me, this is exactly what the police wants to do, and must be discouraged.
We’ve got a lot of security challenges confronting us as a nation, and I expect the police to dedicate their energy and resources in confronting these challenges, rather than unleashing them on vulnerable, angry and frustrated youths who are obviously victims of the failed Nigerian system.
