- Prompt sanctioning of erring officials of ‘Operation Burst’ heart-warming
It is heart-warming that officials of the special security outfit in Oyo State, otherwise known as ‘Operation Burst’, who manhandled residents in Ibadan have been detained for interrogation. Coming few weeks after the nation paid a huge price for the notorious conducts of some members of the proscribed Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), shows that those concerned are callous and insensitive to the nation’s well-being. Not only that their conduct constitutes an abuse of the fundamental human rights of citizens, it shows that the malaise of brutality of citizens by security agencies, is much deeper than the proscribed SARS.
‘Operation Burst’ comprises officials of the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Their men were captured on video flogging a lady and a man, who they subsequently shaved their hairs around Beere area of Ibadan, Oyo State. The video, which went viral, shows the soldier flogging a woman and subsequently shaving her in the streets. The military men involved should know that such conduct further batters our battered national image, as anyone who watches the video would wonder whether our nation operates under the rule of law.
That barbaric conduct offends the provision of section 34(1)(a) of the 1999 constitution (as amended), which explicitly provides that: “Every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly – no person shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman and degrading treatment.” Such silly abuse of fellow citizens by men in uniform, is based on the erroneous believe by some armed personnel that they are superior to the civilians, who they derisively address as “bloody civilian.”
So, both the military and the police need a reorientation about their relationship with their fellow citizens in the performance of their duties. It is however reassuring that the government of Oyo State has sacked those involved from ‘Operation Burst’, and has urged the military to probe those concerned and bring them to justice. The steps taken by the commanders of the group to pacify those abused is also commendable, but that should not stop the in-house discipline of those involved in the conduct unbecoming of security agents.
To wean the military of the mental misconception of superiority to the civilians, there is the need for reorientation of the rank and file. While the military should be accorded respect and showered with love by citizens for the great sacrifice of protecting their country, it does not confer any special privilege of superiority on them. Such love and respect should be willingly given, and such abuse as we saw in Ibadan, diminishes the possibility rather than enhance it. Those involved should be embarrassed that they used the weapons and accoutrements procured to secure citizens, to oppress and abuse them.
Narrating the incident, the male victim said: “They said I should take off my cap and when I did, they flogged me and asked me to kneel down. When I asked what my crime was, he ordered me to sit down and then brought out a pair of scissors from his pocket. The funny thing was that they collected money from us for the haircut.” The tragedy that recently befell the nation because of the abuses of SARS operatives was not a reaction to one-off incident.
The abuses happened for several years, and despite complaints by the public, the government had treated the issue with levity. As we are hearing from the victims appearing at the several judicial panels, the abuses ranged from extra-judicial killings to criminal conversion of private properties. So, the prompt intervention of the leadership of the army and the state government with respect to ‘Operation Burst’ abuse is welcome.
