Prior to the 2020 ENDSARS protest, at least 7 out of 10 Nigerian Youth aged between 17 and 35, would have faced one form of brutality, a wanton violation of human rights and or a total disdain for the rule of law from state actors, and the protest was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Intended to be the first in the series of good governance demands from the Youth, it was not only slain, but several Nigerian Youth were also murdered in their prime. The few that survived, fled the country for safety, hence the now popular migration parlance, Japa. Japa is a combination of two Yoruba expressions, já | pa, meaning “to flee”. However, it’s more than an expression for migration as it reflects the desperations, hopelessness, and fears of the Youth. Better put, japa means to “flee to safety”.
From pre-colonial era, protests have continued to be a significant aspect of our civil life with different movements and groups addressing inflations, bad governance, unemployment, and insecurity in Nigeria. In 1929, a protest was staged by women in Southeastern Nigeria Abia State labelled Aba women riot against several colonial administration policies. Many years after in 2017, the Nigerian Army clashed with Youth in Abia State after setting up an operation code-named Operation Python Dance ll (Egwu Eke ll) in five states of the Southeastern region. Typical of state actors, actions don’t often march intentions. The military said the operation was to address kidnapping, armed robbery, among other crises in the region. Unfortunately, it only delivered anguish and gnashing of teeth to the people of Abia state.
Leaders had disregarded their criticisms, and, for some youth, it seemed futile to continue struggling for a Nation that seeks to destroy them.
This goes to prove to the international community that the ENDSARS protest of 2020 was not the first time state actors are violating human rights and frustrating the Youth. A writer, Ademolawa Michael Adedipe, in his Play published by Research Gate in 2021 had put it better. Adedipe said; “Python Dance was a brutal Military mission against those they were supposed to protect”. The situation in Nigeria is very scary as participating in any protest against the government is almost tantamount to a criminal offence for which some protesters have spent years in prison, tortured, maimed, killed or forced into exile, especially Youth leaders, protest sponsors or human rights activists.
