Confronting the deep-seated mistrust between Nigerian youths and the Police Force, a recent debate organized by Cruise sought to facilitate a "civil conversation to address both sides of the story" five years after the historic End SARS protest. This highly volatile discussion, broadcast on the Cruise YouTube channel, quickly became a clash of narratives, exposing the enduring trauma faced by young Nigerians due to police brutality and aggressive profiling, juxtaposed against the police's insistence that the majority of officers are professional.
Youth representatives on Cruise’s platform detailed the trauma stemming from incidents like police killings under Ajah bridge, the shooting of a barrister over a missing number plate, or the death of a truck driver shot in the head for refusing a bribe. This history means that "Every young person is living with that trauma of, 'A policeman would probably drag me to the police station or can shoot me down'". This creates an automatic "defensive mechanism" and hostility toward officers. Police representatives, including Inspector Daniel John and retired DSP Mike Kelechi Amade, acknowledged the existence of "bad eggs", but insisted that the majority of the force is good. They advised youth to be calm and polite, even if an officer is wrong, because "government is still government" and officers will use their rights if provoked.
A major point of contention highlighted by Cruise was profiling. The police admitted that while profiling may not be formally trained, psychology is used to assess individuals based on suspicion. However, the youth argued that police profiling is excessively aggressive and based on superficial traits. Criteria cited by the police for suspicion included impatience, wearing raggedy (crazy) jeans, having dreadlocks, or driving an expensive car like a Lexus ES350 or a Mercedes C-Class. Youth representatives argued that this approach allows police to skip an actual criminal and target somebody whose preferred fashion sense is being on dreadlocks or raggedy jeans. Instead of profiling, the youth demanded a focus on calm interrogation. The police conceded that any officer not approaching a driver politely with, "Please, may I know who you are, sir?" is wrong.
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The legacy of the End SARS protests remained a highly charged topic. The youth celebrated End SARS for demonstrating that the youth "has a voice" and "can do something", leading to achievements like the Lekki Toll Gate not operating until now. The police representatives, however, firmly and repeatedly asserted that the fatal shootings at Lekki Tollgate on October 20th were perpetrated by the Nigerian Army, not the Nigerian Police Force. An officer even claimed to be a victim, stating that "they fired at me" on the protest side that day. The police argued that the protests were hijacked by "criminal elements" who mobilized innocent youth. The youth, however, maintained that the police cannot "exonerate themselves" because their "brutality and high handedness" "led us to the gate".
On the topic of bribery, which the youth claimed is often the only reason an officer is calm, police maintained they are not taught to collect bribes and that citizens whose conscience is clear should not give in to demands. However, youth representatives shared experiences of officers demanding money directly, using phrases like "Boss anything for the weekend?" or "Big boy, wire me some cash". One representative shared an incident from that very morning where an officer tried to snatch their phone. The police advised that, in such scenarios, citizens should allow the phone to be taken, follow the officer to the station, and report the incident to the DPO—a course of action the youth found unrealistic and dangerous.
As a way forward, representatives agreed that a dialogue between senior police, youth leaders, legal minds, and politicians should occur. Youth representatives called for comprehensive police reform, including ejecting old, unfit officers and recruiting and training new blood. They urged police to conduct more interrogations than profiling, while police advised the youth to calm down, be polite, and remember the families they come from. Cruise’s objective was to find a "middle grounds" between these opposing perspectives, but the heated discussion demonstrated that immense work remains to bridge the massive confidence gap.
