The Buhari administration has blamed a host of ethical lapses as a key factor in the recent #EndSARS campaign to end police brutality in Nigeria.

The campaign to end deadly and corrupt conducts of police officers attached to the special anti-robbery squad began in 2017 by thousands of victims, but it was only on October 8, 2020, that it snowballed into a worldwide agitation. SARS was scrapped on October 11.

At the federal cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, ministers and other key administration officials agreed the aftermath of the campaign, which was relaxed after the October 20 military massacre of protesters in Lagos, should see a new change in attitude amongst Nigerian youth.

“We recommended that the federal government re-mobilise critical organs and agencies such as the National Orientation Agency and formal educational institutions to focus on ethical re-orientation, inculcation of family values into the school curriculum.

“We recommended focus on etiquette, local reasoning, critical thinking, solution seeking, empathy, self respect, civic duty and human rights,” works minister Tunde Fashola said while briefing State House reporters shortly after Wednesday’s executive council meeting.

It was unclear how the administration arrived at its conclusion that a lack of ethical values was to blame for the #EndSARS campaign, which involved Nigerians of different professional backgrounds. The movement that coordinated contribution towards the campaign was run by doctors, lawyers, accountants, journalists and other professionals.

Mr. Osinbajo was amongst administration officials who had previously acknowledged the protests as genuine and auspicious for the country’s civic development.

Mr. Fashola said the meeting also agreed that the government should pursue justice for victims, including prompt prosecution of those involved in rights abuses and destruction of public and private assets.

“We also recommended the Federal Government to actively seek and support the process of justice for all by ensuring that any of those apprehended and identified to be involved in the perpetration of this carnage be speedily brought to justice and fairly tried,” Mr. Fashola said.