ASSESSING THE MERITS OF POLICE REFORMATION IN IMPROVING NATIONAL SECURITY: A CASE STUDY OF THE 2020 ENDSARS PROTEST

Background Of Study: More than fifty years ago, sociologists viewed protest as an undemocratic invasion of politics and power. After the 1970s, protest is now seen as an important strengthening of democratic political systems and an important factor in the transition from authoritarian to democratic regimes. The study of protest and social movements has grown from a marginalized and nearly dying subspecies of social psychology in the 1960s into a highly specialized field of sociology as such, with significant links to political, organizational, and cultural sociology as well as social psychology. Social movement theorists view protest as “politics by other means,” and it is now well known that non-institutional and institutional politics are interconnected and interrelated. Acts of protest are perhaps the most symbolic embodiment of the social production of this public space. Protest violates the physical integrity of space and establishes a series of social (and sometimes physical) relationships that indirectly (temporarily) change the rules of interaction.

Protest was defined as "an expression or expression of opposition, disagreement, or disagreement, often in contrast to what cannot or cannot be prevented or prevented." (Dictionary of Random Houses, 1967). The protest law contains the following elements: the action expresses a grievance, a conviction of wrong or injustice; the protesters are unable to correct the condition directly by their own efforts; the action is intended to draw attention to the grievances; the action is further meant to provoke ameliorative steps by some target group; and the protesters depend upon some combination of sympathy and fear to move the target group in their behalf. According to Bailey (1962), the protest ranges from the more convincing to the more convincing combination, but always extends to both. Many forms of protest do not involve violence or destruction. 

The results of sociological research have shown that there are specific reasons for protest. According to Ritter and Conrad (2016), people are more likely to protest if they are not afraid of revenge on the government. if they are connected to civil society networks that support the organization (Boulding 2014); when there are structures of political options that respond to the will of citizens (Tilly 1978); and if the protest is believed to be effective (van Stekelenburg and Klandermans, 2013). According to Thomas and Louis (2013), people are more likely to take part in a protest if they understand and believe in the specific aims of the protest movement.

This all makes a theoretical meaning: people protest when the cost of participation goes down and when the benefits of the success of their movement matter to their personal life. The right to peaceful assembly, association and freedom of expression is enshrined in a number of human rights treaties. Do not believe more than 60 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed that everyone has the right to express an opinion and to meet peacefully? Surprisingly, many people do not consider these rights important or even do not exist. In 2008 Azerbaijan, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea and Thailand made up more than 25 percent. Respondents believed that their governments had the right to ban peaceful demonstrations. Less than half of those polled in Russia and Egypt believe that freedom of expression is very important. Even in emerging democracies like Germany and the USA, almost 25 percent of those surveyed did not consider freedom of expression to be important (WorldPublicOpinion.org, 2008).

The right to freedom of expression is closely linked to the right to freedom of assembly and the right to protest. Assemblies that represent a deliberate and temporary gathering of a group of people in a private or public space for a specific purpose (UNHRCR, 2012) play a key role in mobilizing the population and shaping complaints and aspirations. "(UNHRCR, 2011) At the same time, the expression of individual and collective opinion is one of the goals of all protests. (UNHRCR, 2012).

The right to protest is also closely linked to human rights activities, including the recognition, protection or exercise of rights. Protests in various countries in the region are used for specific acts of violence, eviction, labor problems or other violations of rights, both as a means of raising the threshold for guaranteeing fundamental rights at the national level and as a means of integrating many rights into the ongoing development of international human rights law. The protest is also closely linked to the promotion and protection of democracy, with the Court of America recognizing that, in protesting against the collapse of the democratic system, "not only must the rule of law be exercised but the duty to defend democracy must be respected."

According to UNHRCR (2012), protest is a form of individual or collective action aimed at expressing ideas, views or values of dissent, opposition, denunciation or justification. These include the expression of opinions, views or political, social or cultural perspectives; expressing support or criticism of a group, party or government; respond to policy or condemn a public issue; strengthening the identity or awareness of the group's situation regarding discrimination and social isolation.

Today's Internet is an important communication tool that people can connect to and connect to in an adaptive, fast and efficient way. It is seen as a tool with unique opportunities to exercise freedom of expression. The new forces offered by the Internet include the ability to connect and unite people acquired in the digital age, which contributes to the realization and full realization of other civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. In the age of digital technology, meetings and clubs can be organized and organized with a short message at a low price without notice. The Internet remains an important tool for monitoring and reporting human rights violations at demonstrations and meetings.

The Internet can be viewed and analyzed as an organizational tool or platform for protest (UNHRCR, 2013). In practice, it serves as a means of disseminating, convening and publishing physical meetings and gatherings in a particular public place (for example, through social networks, blogs or forums), thus expanding the boundaries of participation. The Internet provides an opportunity to organize an online protest, create a common room for negotiations, reduce distances and time, and simplify formalities and agendas (INDH, 2013). Both attitudes should be protected and promoted to the extent that they contribute to the full realization of human rights (INDH, 2013).