#EndSARS: Police IG, NTA prove government is insensitive towards citizens’ plights

The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on Monday displayed an unacceptable level of irresponsibility by taking advantage of Nigerian’s anguish with misleading news.

Not a few people were excited and relieved that it seemed their cries over the atrocities of SARS officials across the country had been heard by the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris, when NTA ran with the headline “I-G Bans SARS from Conducting Stop and Search Operations”.

It wasn’t long before Nigerians figured out NTA only attempted to play on their intelligence.

Now, while the incessant harassment of innocent citizens by SARS officials is in itself disgusting and infuriating, that a national TV station could descend so low is nothing short of embarrassing. And it adds insult to injury of Nigerians who have been calling for a reform of the police unit but have been treated with disregard by the police IG who wouldn’t even acknowledge their concerns.

SARS officials continue to roam wild and free looking for their next victims, but NTA was more concerned about getting a hit on their non-evolving news platform.

Such move could have been applauded, if the news dissemination had been done as a pointer that the police IG has failed in his promise made to Nigerians months ago. But NTA wouldn’t be so critical of its own, would it?

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If anything has been proven with such lame attempt at playing on people’s intelligence by NTA, it is that the government simply does not care about its citizens’ cry about the overzealous activities of the SARS operatives.

Police spokespersons, Abayomi Shogunle and Dolapo Badmos, have even had the audacity to trivialise the SARS’ activities, while their boss would rather focus on a power tussle with lawmakers than listen to the public and call his irresponsible officers to order.

The #EndSARS campaign is in full swing and even if citizens continue to feel helpless, the last thing they deserve is for a national TV to rub their plights in their faces.