#ENDSARS: The Colonial Roots of Nigeria's SARS Police Force and the Youth-Led Freedom Movement To End It
I would like to write a bit on the crisis going in Nigeria. But in doing so, I write as an African in the United States, with a history in this nation of at least seven generations. But I will also write from the perspective of an African with an international lens. What is going on there is reminiscent of what Black youths have experienced for decades in their communities at the hands of the police-which is in itself an extension of the days of Africans, stolen from their homelands being policed on plantations of forced labor and stolen profits, with overseers and slave patrols. I live in a neighborhood where the sound of a police helicopter is the norm, along with gentrification and Black suffering. It is no coincidence that the situation in Nigeria mirrors the struggle of Black folks in the US, albeit in a more intense manner.The situation going on in Nigeria is the counterpart to the Black struggle in the U.S.
A group of rebel settlers and colonists declared their independence from the British Empire, formerly establishing the United States government in 1783. After another conflict between the U.S. and the British (and their Indigenous allies) in 1812, the British retreated to Canada and shifted the focus of their empire in the Western Hemisphere to the Caribbean. A centuries -long tradition of African resistance to slavery led the British to shift strategies to meet their labor needs, leading to the importation of Chinese and Indian workers, whose labor and living conditions mimicked slavery. The British also turned back to the continent of Africa, after centuries of being a central figure in the theft millions of people there. The British, along with Belgium, Germany, France, Portugal, Italy, and Spain carved Africa into several colonial "possessions".
The British established colonies in West Africa, Southern Africa, and East Africa. British West Africa included to present countries of Sierra Leone (named by the Portuguese), Ghana, and Nigeria. The name "Nigeria" can be traced to the Niger Company, a company established by British businessmen to rob Africa of its natural resources (petroleum, palm oil, etc.), and export them to Britain and other parts of its empire. A precursor to the Niger company was the Royal African Company, established in the 17th Century to trade in West Africa (to bring my ancestors to America) and export natural resources. The raw resources taken from West Africa (and Africa on the whole, and Southeast Asia ) were used to manufacture consumer goods such as soaps, detergents, cooking oils, and as lubricants in machines and automobiles, along with other goods. Africans, on the continent and in the diaspora fueled the industrial revolution and capitalism.
From the late 19th century until the mid- twentieth century the British empire controlled the area that came to be called Nigeria through a series of elaborate colonial schemes called "protectorates". There was the Oil Rivers Protectorate, later called the Niger Coast Protectorate, locally controlled through British- appointed local leaders. The name "Oil Rivers" was in reference to its location along Niger Delta portion of the Niger River, and the Palm Oil extraction in the region. The area controlled by the Niger Company, which controlled vast areas of Nigeria and today trades under the name Unilever (ever use Lever 2000- soap?), was taken over by the British government, after purchasing the rights to the territory for the Niger Company for 865,000 British Pounds.
Britain consolidated its power in Nigeria through dealing with local leaders and kings, and through campaigns of violence-war. Britain formerly held control of Nigeria until 1960, when it officially relinquished control as a consequence of anti- colonial struggles throughout the continent and in its colonies. Kwame Nkrumah led a struggle in the British Gold Coast, and was a founding leader of the nation of Ghana. While Nigeria, Ghana, and many other nations found themselves nominally independent of European rule, economically, Europe still pulled the strings and made sure that fiscal policy was suitable to their needs. They did this through established local leaders and presidents that were friendly to Europe and the U.S. Today, nations in African that were once part of French West Africa use the CFA franc, a currency that gives leverage to French and other European nations in Africa, but is worthless in France and Europe.
Much of the turmoil we see in Africa can be traced to its long historic relationship with being colonized and being a tool of European empires. Much of the violence we see among Africans is a knock-on effect of centuries of exploitation, resource theft, underdevelopment,, and stagnation. Generally, many leaders of African nations serves the interests of the African elite and foreign business interests. Meanwhile, a large share of working and poor Africans suffer from lack of access to resources and opportunities, even though Africa is immensely wealthy. This can be detected in the emigration of Nigerians from their homelands to places like the U.K. (Surprise Surprise), Europe, and the United States. The people, especially the youth, as all people exploited, dispossessed, and humiliated do, have expressed their outrage at the unevenness of power, opportunity, and wealth distribution.
Enter the police. The police are sold to the public as a service to maintain order and peace. But in practice- in communities that experience oppression, colonialism, and poverty, the police are a pacifying force. While some segments of this population (in the U.S. in Nigeria, Latin America) seek out opportunities to survive by any means, police task forces are formed to contain resistance to oppressive conditions. These forces use any means to keep the "peace" so that markets and capital are not hindered by people protesting their living conditions. In order to protect the elite and western business interests, militarized police are used to terrorize the people. In the case of Nigeria (or in the U.S. or in London) it matters little what color the police officers are. Their role in Black communities is one of suppression.
The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), like the gang units in Los Angeles and police outfits in Oakland, Chicago, and Miami, cast a wide net on whole communities under the guise of being tough on crime and maintaining safety. But they are all guilty of terrorizing the people through murder, torture, imprisonment, blackmail, kidnapping, sexual assault, framing, invading homes, and other awful abuses. The end goal is always the same- crush the resistance of the people fighting for justice and empowerment, and keep power and resources in the hands of those already in power. The call to #endsars is felt in Los Angeles, all across Black communities in the U.S., and everywhere we're struggling for freedom.