#EndSARS campaign: A peep into timelines of celebrities

Some notable Nollywood celebrities have lent their support to the ongoing #EndPoliceBrutality protest that is sweeping through some parts of Nigeria. While some of them have physically joined the protest, others have dedicated their social media handles to demand an end to indiscriminate killing and harassment by the defunct Special Anti-Robber Squad (SARS).

Here is a peep into the timeliness of some notable screen celebrities.

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Gideon Okeke
LIKE his colleagues, actor Gideon Okeke has not made any other post on his timelines in the last one week outside campaigning for an end to police brutality. He has been consistent in calling for an end to police brutality and the proper reform of the police force.

This was one of his initial posts when the protest began: “Dear Nigerian Police, we are on your side oo. But if you will just cooperate with the Nigerian youths, we can renegotiate better working conditions, remuneration and reforms on your collective hehalf. That way, una go commot eye for the small one wey citizens make with blood and sweat, and channel una demands to the real people wey hold una money. Una money no dey street.

#ReformThePolice.”
The actor, who described the protest as the start of the silver lining at the end of a ‘dready’ 2020 made several other post in support of police reforms but one of the post that gained traction minutes after he shared it was the actors message to internet fraudsters otherwise known as ‘yahoo Boys and Girls’.

This was his message to them: “Dear Yahoo Boys and girls, I hope you know that this fight is not for you. I hope you know that this fight is not to support crime but a fight against injustice. I hope you know we are not shouting ‘END SARS’ just so you can do your yahoo freely. I hope you know that we did not lose so many lives just so you can grow more in cyber crime. The biggest irony is the Yahoo Boy at the protest yelling ‘#ENDSARS’ and fight corruption. Once we are done fighting against injustice, we’ll also fight against cybercrime!”

Richard Mofe Damijo
AWARD winning actor Richard Mofe Damijo or RMD for short also lent his weight to the #EndSARS protest. The notable actor took to his social media platform to commend the protesters whom he described as a generation that has defied all odds to birth a new movement.

“I stand with a generation that defies all odds and has proceeded to birth a movement that can no longer be stopped,” he posted.

When the protest gained momentum, he sent a congratulatory message to the protesters. He said “Again, congratulations, but the #endsars is a battle cry. The rallying point… The destination desired is a policing that is devoid of profiling, conforms to tenets of the law and is devoid of brutality. To attain this, men of the police force who committed crimes against the people must be held accountable. The police force must be reformed and deal openly with their elements found wanting. This should be applied to all formations not only SARS…. putting urine into wine bottles doesn’t make it wine; deploying the officers to other units offers no respite. We need a total reformation. Without reformation, the new policing arrangement is ambiguous and poses a lot of questions. Every single one of the bad eggs must be held accountable and this must be done transparently”

Chinedu Ikedezie, MFR
NOTABLE actor Chinedu Ikedezie, who is simply called Paw Paw by fans and colleagues, had his timeline buzzing with message of solidarity for the protesters and total support for the #EndSars protest, which he described as “very timely.”

The actor, who holds the national honour of Member of The Federal Republic (MFR) made a video in support of the protest, which he shared on all of his social media platforms. Wearing a dark shade, the actor of vast credit said: “Hello Mr. President, don’t think that we are less busy, and unoccupied that is why we are protesting. We are protesting because we love this country so much. We are protesting because we want a good society. We are protesting because we want a good place to live and a good place to call home. Nigeria is our home; we are not idle. All of us have our businesses and we have something we are doing. But we all left it to come and protest to #EndSars. The activities of this SARS people have become unbearable.”

He continued: “How can a policeman take someone to an ATM machine to collect money and zap everything under gunpoint? What is the difference between that and arm robbery? Please we need a total reformation of the Nigerian Police Force. Please we are not fools; we are the youth of today. Even though we have been promised several years ago that we are the youths of tomorrow. What is the future if we cannot fix today and yesterday. Please Sir, Mr. President; we shouldn’t be taken for granted. We are all adults and we know what we are doing. We want the best for this country that is why we are doing this. We are the future of this country.”

Dakore Akande PHOTO: Emmanuel Oyeleke

Dakore Akande
IT was her birthday on Wednesday, but in spite of that, Nollywood diva Dakore Akande still found time to flood her timelines with message of solidarity for the protesters and support for the #EndSars protest. In one of her most recent post, the actress, wife, mother, singer and model wrote: “I have never been prouder to be a Nigerian woman. It is no accident that this protest is happening in the month of October; the month of my birth, of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti whose birthday is also this October (Oct 15), the month of our independence. We are working up to our power as one people to say enough is enough. It is a new dawn, a new day; a new life for us and I am feeling good.”