THE HYPOCRISY OF THE #ENDSARS PROTESTERS AS REGARDS THE CONDEMNATION OF YAHOO RITUALISM

     Undoubtedly, human life is the most cherished aspect of the existential qualities of man. The need for man to protect his life marks the etiology of health and medicine. Aside medicine, we strive on a daily basis to protect our lives against any inhuman tendencies that could end our existence. On 3 October 2020, in Nigeria, operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) allegedly shot a young man at Wetland Hotel in Ughelli, leaving him injured. This incident was filmed and went viral, sparking an outcry on social media against SARS using the hashtag #EndSARS to show a serious grievance against this singular occurrence.

    Since then, #EndSARS campaign has drawn worldwide attention to Nigeria. With support from both international corporations and celebrities, it has become the latest protest movement to attract solidarity on a global scale  especially after the alleged opened fire on unarmed protesters in Lekki, Lagos on 20 October,  reportedly killing 12 people. At least, some more lives  have been lost in Nigeria since the protest began either by hijackers or the unguarded protesters. Beginning as a call to dismantle the country’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit, #EndSARS in the long run became a theatrical stage for looting, killing of innocent police officers,  civilians  and stealing. According to public analysts , they assumed that the protest is significant on its own merit because it is a movement across the whole youth spectrum in the most populous black nation on Earth. Based on the incessant agitation of the youths, the SARS unit was disbanded on 11 October, 2020. Since the unit was dissolved, the hashtag still continue to generates nearly 30 million tweets in the first 48 hours and keeps  trending in major cities across the world as at the time of it popularity. 

    Arising from the above, it is clear that the rationale behind the endsars campaign is to put a stop to the continuous  killing of the youths in the hands of   SARS in order to protect the lives of other potential victims. Even though, protest was not the appropriate tool that could be adopted to  solve the menace of police brutality until it became rioted thereby leading to the loss of more lives and properties worth  millions of dollars across the country. On 29th of January, 2022, One teenager and two others were allegedly caught burning the head of a girl called Rofiat whom they killed for money ritual purposes at the Oke Aregba area of Abeokuta in Ogun State. It was gathered that the trio namely  Wariz Oladehinde, 17, and Abdul Gafar Lukman, 19, and the 20-year-old, Mustakeem Balogun, were all noticed by a local community security guard, Segun Adewusi at the scene of the incidence. This is not the first incidence of ritual killings in Nigeria and in Ogun state specifically. Several ritual killings have been attributed to the emerging yahoo boys in different regions of the country. 

   This particular "Rofiat's" incidence has instigated public worries maybe based on the youngness of the crime perpetrators (17,19 and 20). The incidence of yahoo ritualism or yahoo without ritual is a common escape valve for youths who thinks being poor is a sin and as such, no way is wrong to get rich even if it is through cyber criminality or money ritual which many calls yahoo plus. What I have come to observe about the menace of Yahoo ritualism in our society is the unbothered nature of the significant others vis a vis parents, friends, neighbour, religious leaders, celebrities, lecturers and stakeholders alike maybe as a result of the token they are benefiting from these agents of "shayton" called yahoo boys. These unbothered attitudes has been responsible for the glorification and continued perpetration  of this heinous crime called ritual killings by these yahoo men and boys across different regions of the country.  The question that comes to mind on hearing about the Rofiat's incidence is; what are the reactions of the endars protesters or the youths generally on this issue especially on the Twitter space? Do they even felt the need to speak against the menace of "yahoo yahoo"? Or they were only concerned about the general concept of ritual and ritual killings which do not even generates 10percents of the views generated within 48 hours of endsars campaign on Twitter. 

     Because, as much as I could observe, the "soroke" youths or the endars protesters  are not as emotionally concerned as they were on the endsars syndrome. Then, I begin to wonder the level of hypocrisy looming amongst our youths who are always very antagonistic against the present administration whenever they observes any political deficiency in the direction of governance. An important question that needs to be answered is; why are they quiet about speaking against the danger of yahoo ritualism or the one without ritual if truly they are concerned about the preservation of human lives as claimed by them during the endsars protest? I would say maybe  the endsars protest was not initially intended  to stop police brutality against the generality of people but for yahoo boys and yahoo men or because the majority of our youths are into the business of cyber criminality and ritualism, because if it was meant for all and sundry, any danger posed against human life by anyone either by SARS  or yahoo boys should be spoken against without any element of hypocrisy!. Why then, are the youths quiet about speaking against the menace of "yahoo yahoo" among their siblings, friends and neighbours?... Are they afraid of being used by these yahoo boys and men?.....Are they skeptical of losing online giveaways? If not, then they are hugely benefiting from the menace of yahoo ritualism and as such, they are allies and encouragers to these evil perpetrators (yahoo boys and men). 

   The fact remains that we won't stop witnessing the occurrence of yahoo ritualism if we won't speak against it, not through protest but through the words of our mouths and negative attitudes  towards the yahoo boys and men around us. Because i could still remember vividly when the endsars protesters were asked about why they think we should all speak against police brutality, many of them would say "we don't know who they (SARS) might kill next, it might be any of our family members or friends". Why didn't they now think the yahoo boys and men can behead or harvest any organ  of their family members for ritual purposes. Why are these activist not thinking in this direction if truly they are patriotic as they used to claim especially the likes of Macaroni, Aisha Yesufu and their gullible supporters and allies. I think the major problem here is "hypocrisy" as it has always been the major disease of the modern man and the fear of llosingtheir yahoo friends because the moment they begin to speak ill of yahoo activities, the moment their monetary benefit stops. And for those that have been reacting against this yahoo menace, kudos to you...but, for the hypocrites, the end will justify the means! Keep being the allies of yahoo ritualists and keep deceiving us about your false hatred towards them, when the time comes for one of your organs to be used, it will surely be used by your yahoo allies.