In a matter of days, the year 2020, will, like an early morning fog, vanish into an eternal oblivion. Unlike an early morning fog, year 2020 does not just evaporate. The outgoing year brought with it, sorrowful death, viruses never unheard of in human history. Year 2020, by every measure of statistics, will certainly go down well in history as humanity’s worst time ever.
It was a year that must be recorded that almost defeated man’s grip of science and technology. At the dawn of the year, the entire world was shocked to its marrows to learn of a new word in the medical/health lexicon known as coronavirus or covid – 19. The World Health Organization, WHO, came about the covid- 19 idea from how the deadly virus originated; that is, corona virus in December 2019!
WHO revealed that coronavirus first reared its ugly head in China’s industrial city known as Wuhan. According to an account, ‘in the early days of the virus, it was traced to a so-called “wet market” in Wuhan, Hubei province, and it was suggested that this was where it made the leap from animals to humans. But experts now believe it may simply have been amplified there.
Research suggests that coronaviruses capable of infecting humans may have been circulating undetected in bats for decades. Last December, a Chinese doctor at Wuhan Central Hospital – Li Wenliang – tried to warn fellow medics about a possible outbreak of a new disease, but was told by police to “stop making false comments” and was investigated for “spreading rumours”.
Dr Li died in February after contracting the virus while treating patients in the city’. At the time of this report, Nigeria’s case stood as follows: Confirmed case was 78,790, death toll was 1,227 and recovered persons were 68,493. Globally, Confirmed cases were 77,432,103, number of deaths was 1,704,065, and recovered persons were 43,698,196.
In a way, the pandemic was so devastating that the world was shut down between March and September, 2020 as there was no atom of public business in any part of the world. All financial institutions like banks and insurance firms were shutdown. All markets – both regular markets like daily or daily markets, business centres, shops, and institutional markets like capital markets as well stocks were equally shut. Of course, all local and international airports were shutdown. Even now, some countries have yet to reopen both their airports as well as international and local borders.
Also, tourism centres and hospitality industries were closed down. Academic activities at all levels were put to a stop. Liturgical exercises were stopped from holding. Sports activities world over were equally put on hold. For instance, 2020 was an Olympic year but it was sensationally put off.
All football competitions, including all the leagues in Europe, ended abruptly. In fact, the world functioned only in name except those who could afford virtual meetings and press conferences. As it has been repeatedly stated, covid -19 brought the world to its knees.
The after effects and other attendant characterizations, besides the death and economic losses, were the now popular face mask, lockdown and in some cases in Nigeria, curfew. If the pandemic was debilitating, the lockdown and curfew which permanently confined humankind indoors, was killing.
Mbaka’s prophecy/prediction Nigerians of all works of life woke up on New Year Day to be greeted with a controversial prophesy (some say prediction) from influential Catholic priest, Rev Fr. Camillus Ejike Mbaka of the famous spiritual director of Adoration Ministries Enugu Nigeria (AMEN). Mbaka, in his annual crossover night ritual where he usually, by way of prophesy, predict what would most likely happen in the New Year. On the midnight of December 31, 2019, Mbaka had shouted it to the high heavens that then Governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State would lose the governorship seat to Senator Hope Uzodimma. Ihedioha was of PDP extraction while Uzodimma contested the election on the platform of APC and finished a distant fourth position. Mbaka’s prophesy rattled Imo State’s foundation.
At the time of the prophesy, Ihedioha’s profile and image was high in Imo in view of the massive projects he had put on ground in Imo. For instance, backlog of pensions and workers’ salaries were being after a comprehensive verification. About 32 road projects awarded to 16 competent firms were on going. Abandoned technical colleges were given urgent attention just as healthcare delivery and commendable housing policies were being treated. Many interpretations were given to Mbaka’s message. Many PDP and Ihedioha’s followers were raging in anger, insisting that there was no element of prophesy in Mbaka’s message but an orchestrated plot designed by ‘powers from above’ to oust PDP from power in Imo. As it turned to be, Ihedioha was sacked by the Supreme Court on January 14, 2020 and installed Uzodimma.
Protests/ Supreme Court review
Obviously angered and frustrated by the sack of Ihedioha by the apex court, Imo PDP members and indeed all round Nigeria, staged a protest demanding for the reversal though a review of the January 14, 2019 supreme court judgment. Nigeria’s apex court has set a new date for the hearing of the application filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and sacked Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha. Ihedioha and his party asked the court to reverse the judgment which declared Hope Uzodinma and APC, winner of the 2019 governorship election.
At the mention of the case, Ihedioha’s lead lawyer, Kanu Agabi sought for time to enable parties file the necessary papers, a request other lawyers in the case did not object to. Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, who led other six judges, in a brief ruling, granted the request for adjournment and adjourned till March 2, 2020. On that day, the matter was moved to the following day and of course, the matter was dismissed.
Lockdown/ curfew
As the global pandemic was raging, maiming and killing millions of people across the world, all affected national governments of those respective countries declared what was known as lockdown. That is, no movement of any kind. People, for the first time in history, were forced to stay put in their houses. The difference is that, while all the other governments of the world provided palliative to their citizenry, the Nigerian government did it haphazardly. Even when it appeared as if the pandemic had gone down a little, most state governments in Nigeria imposed curfew. It was pathetic.
Killing of four Catholic seminarians
Initially, there were doubts about who really was responsible for the abduction of the four Catholic seminarians. After the last of them was found dead, Boko Haram took responsibility and announced that it killed the four innocent boys because they creamed ‘the blood of Jesus’ after they were abducted.
That, according to the insurgent group, angered it and it then urged the ‘blood of Jesus’ to come to their rescue. The seminarians were kidnapped on January 8, 2020, after their abductors gained entrance into the seminary by breaking through the fence. A leading Catholic charity that supports persecuted Christians had named the abducted seminarians as Pius Kanwai, 19, Peter Umenukor, 23, Stephen Amos, 23, and 18-year-old Michael Nnadi.
A report noted that ‘They were taken on the evening of Wednesday, January 8, from the Good Shepherd Major Seminary in Kaduna city, northern Nigeria. The armed assailants broke through the fence surrounding the living quarters of the seminary, forced themselves into the student hostel, and stole some of the students’ valuables before abducting the seminarians.
The four men came from different dioceses across northern Nigeria and had only just started studying for the priesthood’.
EndSARS
The Wikipedia search machine documented this about End SARS ‘The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was a branch of the Nigeria Police Force under the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID).
It was founded in late 1992 as one of the 14 units in the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, which was established to detain, investigate, and prosecute people involved in crimes like armed robbery, kidnapping, and other violent crimes. The squad was created as a masked police unit to perform undercover operations against violent crimes like armed robbery, car snatching, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and the bearing and use of illegal firearms.
SARS had been accused of several human rights violations, illegal “stop and searches”, illegal arrests and detentions, extrajudicial killings, sexual harassment of women and brutalising of young male Nigerians. The human rights abuses were documented in trending videos on social media. In 2017, Nigerian activists, youth and celebrities across the nation took to the streets in a peaceful protest to spread awareness of SARS brutality and extortions and to demand its disbanding.
The protests also moved to social media using the hashtag #EndSARS.
‘A 2016 report by Amnesty International, indicted SARS maintaining that the squad was responsible for human rights abuses, cruelty, degrading treatment of Nigerians in their custody, and other widespread torture. Some of the human rights abuses by SARS include the shooting of their detainees in the leg, mock executions and threats of execution, hanging and physical assault.
A 2020 publication by the organization documented 82 cases of abuses and extra judicial killings by SARS between January 2017 and May 2020. On Saturday 3 October 2020, a video showing a SARS police officer shooting a young Nigerian in front of Wetland Hotel, Ughelli, Delta State trended on the Internet. It was alleged that the police officers took away the young man’s vehicle – a Lexus SUV The trending video caused public outcry on social media, especially on Twitter, with the #ENDSARS hashtag trending.
‘Just as the ENDSARS trend began on Twitter, on Monday 5 October 2020, another report surfaced of SARS officers killing a 20-year-old upcoming musician named Daniel Chibuike, popularly called Sleek in his Sleek was said to be sitting in front of a hotel with a friend when the SARS officers approached them, prompting them to flee. According to an eyewitness, the SARS men pursued the pair, shouting “thief”, before shooting Sleek as they ran through a supermarket. His friend was arrested.
On Thursday 8 October 2020, nationwide protests on ENDSARS started after weeks of outrage and anger with videos and pictures showing police brutality, harassment and extortion in Nigeria. The protests were led predominantly by young Nigerians in different cities alongside many activists and celebrities Nigeria Police Force disrupted the protests in some cities, throwing teargas, using water cannons and shooting at unarmed peaceful protesters as seen in Abuja and Osun. This led to the death of Jimoh Isiaq in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
By Wednesday, 14 October 2020, the EndSARS protests were still on-going with young people in different parts of Nigeria intensifying their calls for reforms and accountability in police operations. On Sunday, 11 October 2020, the protestors made a list of five demands to be met by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The demands which were signed by ‘A Nigerian Youth’ demanded for the immediate release of all arrested during the protests as well as justice and compensation for all who died through police brutality in Nigeria. They also demanded that an independent body be set up within 10 days to investigate and prosecute all reports of police misconduct. The protestors also asked for the psychological evaluation and retraining of SARS operatives before they are deployed to any other police unit. Lastly, they asked for adequate increase in the salaries for officers of the Nigerian police.
‘In response to the public outcry on police brutality, the Inspector-General of Nigeria Police banned the FSARS, Special Tactical Squad (STS), Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Anti-Cultism Squad and other tactical units from mounting of roadblocks, checkpoints, stop-and-search and other routine and patrols. Similar bans had been announced multiple times over the previous four years, causing citizens of Nigeria to question whether the bans would actually be upheld.
There were further reports of SARS officers involved in killings across the country as this was the fourth time that the Nigerian government had announced a similar ban on SARS activity; protesters insisted that the notorious police unit be entirely disbanded and wide-ranging reform of the force to follow.
Following violent escalations which included attacks by agitators against both protesters and police, the governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, declared a state-wide 24-hour curfew effective 4:00 PM WAT on 20 October. During this time, images of some persons alleged to be working with the Lagos State government and the Lekki Concession Company removing cameras (later confirmed by the Lagos State Government to be laser cameras and not CCTV cameras as earlier publicized on social media) at the toll gate circulated on EndSARS on Twitter and street lights at the toll gate vicinity were turned off.
A few hours later, it was reported that armed men of the Nigerian Army arrived at the scene of the protest and opened fire on peaceful and unarmed protesters, thereby resulting in a disputed number of deaths. A clip of the shooting videoed by a brave Nigerian youth, DJ Switch, trended on the Internet showing how live round of bullets were being shot at innocent protesters who crouched on the ground, holding hands together and singing the Nigerian National Antheem.
There were also reports that at least 50 other people were injured. However, the Lagos State government later reported that the shooting resulted in up to 25 injured, and only 2 dead Despite the fact that the curfew was extended till 9:00 PM, soldiers of the Nigerian Army started shooting before 7:00 PM’.
Umahi’s jump to APC
Although it was never surprising to many people that Ebonyi State governor, Engineer Dave Umahi eventually pitched his tent with the APC, it still came as a shock to those who were not keen watchers of Ebonyi pulsating politics. Towards the end of 2019 and immediately the PDP lost the 2019 presidential election, Umahi openly identified with President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC. He was always singing the praises of the president just as he became a constant face at the presidential villa. Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike noted that Umahi’s grouse was his inability to be named as Abubakar Atiku’s running mate in the last election.
Informed commentators have been asking why Umahi who was a party chairman, a deputy governor and governor for five years would quit the party for APC. Umahi himself responded that he left because Ndigbo have sacrificed for PDP but the party has been unfair to the South East, particularly on its presidential ambition’. Umahi’s move to APC jolted many PDP faithful. It was one of the biggest events of 2020.
Black lives matter
According an account, on May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. During the arrest Derek Chauvin, a white police officer with the Minneapolis Police Department, knelt on Floyd’s neck for about nine and a half minutes after he was already handcuffed and lying face down.
Floyd had complained about being unable to breathe prior to being on the ground, but after being restrained he became more distressed, and continued to complain about breathing difficulties, the knee in his neck, and expressed the fear he was about to die and called for his mother. After several minutes passed, Floyd stopped speaking. His death was condemned all over the world and the Black race came up with the slogan ‘Black Lives Matter’ to demonstrate that all humans are equal before the law.
Also, the way and manner President Donald Trump behaved after he lost the America’s election never indicated that he is a true scion of America’s democratic processes. He refused to accept defeat, headed to the Supreme Court and still lost. Meanwhile, his defeat proved that America respects institutions and not ‘powerful persons ‘.
