Police Brutality in Nigeria #EndSARS

One of the biggest subjects massively talked about lately has been the police brutality in Nigeria caused by the SARS, a police unit that has been accused of corruption, extortion, theft, torture, kidnapping, executions, amongst other charges. In the last few weeks, the hashtag #EndSARS has been widely discussed in various social medias, especially on Twitter. Nigerians are protesting against the police and demanding changes that, so far, are not being executed by the government.

What is the SARS and the Start of the Protests:

The SARS stands for Special Anti Robbery Squad and is a branch of the Nigeria Police Force. The SARS officers carry guns but don’t wear Nigerian police uniforms or badges. It was created in 1992 to top the constant thefts in the country, and they had the use of strength as their main weapon. However, in the 1990s, Human Rights defense groups started charging SARS for a number of illegal actions that started growing in the last 30 year until the beginning of the protests in October 2020. There have been public records of SARS units committing acts of corruption and malpractice across the country but, despite all of this, the Nigerian government has failed to take action.

Nationwide protests began on October 8th, 2020, when thousands of people went to the streets to protest against the police brutality caused by SARS and demanding change. Young people in Lagos took the streets and began protesting for the end of SARS, the end of injustice and the end of death at the hands of Nigerian police. Young people in Abuja, Ibadan, Benin, Delta, and other cities across the country have also taken to the streets to demand the total disbandment of the police unit.

In response to that, the police have shot tear gas, water cannons, and live rounds at protesters, killing at least four people and wounding many others. Armed thugs have also disrupted protests and attacked protesters.

The Social Media Spread:

No one know for sure when the international support for the protests in Nigeria started, but a website named Tech Cabal tracked the subject down until they reached a tweet from October 3rd saying that the SARS police had shot a young boy and left him to die in the South of the country, and then left the crime scene in the dead guy’s car. The message was retweeted over 10 thousand times, and soon it was supported by Nigerian influencers.

The hashtag #EndSARS has been used since 2017 on social media, but the incident that happened on October 3rd was the last straw, and the hashtag trended at No. 1 worldwide on Twitter. With that achievement, young Nigerians started convincing people to go protest. Over time, other celebrities and social media influencers led the demonstrations in their various states. According to the ONU, over 60% of the population in Nigeria is less than 24 years old, and they are the ones on the streets.

Although the protests started peacefully, they turned bad when the Nigerian Army shot at unarmed protesters on October 20 at close range. Many young protesters were killed and injured while thugs allegedly sponsored by politicians infiltrated and disrupted the protests. Despite the violence, the #EndSARS could mark a turning point in the history of the country. Nigeria has a youthful population, and they are now aware of their power more than ever, just like the young generation of people all around the world.

The Government's Response:

The General Inspector of Nigeria’s Police Department announced that the SARS would be disbanded. The same statement has already been made three years ago, and the youth refuses to believe in it. With that in mind, young Nigerians created a five-point agenda. In the agenda, they demanded justice for citizens that were killed because of police brutality, proper police training, judicial inquiry to prosecute perpetrators, psychological evaluation of the members of the police force, and increased salaries for officers. The protest organizers, led by a group of feminists, assisted in drafting the agenda. It circulated on social media, winning many supporters across the globe from Hillary Clinton to Beyoncé.

Within two weeks, the Feminist Coalition raked in monetary donations over $380,000 to coordinate its logistics. They paid bail for arrested protesters, medical bills for the wounded people, food and drinks, and private security to protect demonstrators. They also launched a help line to respond to emergencies.

After meeting with the president Muhammadu Buhari, the minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, affirmed that, to the Executive Chief, it is important to allow the younger generations to exert their freedom of protesting.” Buhari also promised that he would not only make those new changes, but would also guarantee that they will last so that the country will be proud of their police force.