The protests began in early October in some Nigerian cities, with mostly young people asking for the disbanding of a controversial police unit under the designation Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The Special Anti-Robbery Squad unit is in charge of addressing violent crime in Nigeria, like kidnapping and armed robbery.
SARS has been disbanded several times between 2017 and 2019 on charges of murder and police brutality. They are notorious in Nigeria for using extreme tactics both on guilty and innocent people, including killing young men in public and leaving their bodies on the street. This is what sparked the protests in late 2019. On October 7th, the latest wave of protests quickly spread to several Nigerian cities over footage of officers pulling two men out of a Lagos hotel into the street and shooting one of them.
On October 11th, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari announced the disbanding of the controversial unit. However, the unrest continued and broadened to include demands for further reforms to Nigeria’s governing system.
These additional protests became chaotic. While many people came out in support of the peaceful protests against police brutality, another segment of the youth saw the protests as an opportunity to raid, and vandalize targeted politicians’ businesses. People attacked some city prisons for releasing their jailed inmates. This led to further violence against civilians by the police and soldiers, which has only made the situation more precarious.
While addressing the nation, President Buhari said 69 people were killed during the course of the protests. 51 civilians, 11 police officers, and seven soldiers. However, he made no mention of the shooting of protesters in Lagos on 20 October for which the police are allegedly responsible.
Subsequently, the protests received support from around the world, made easy by the internet and the many retweets under the #ENDSARS tag. The key-group responsible for the #ENDSARS tag received $400,000 (£306,000) they said will serve for funding hospital bills, legal aid, and relief for victims of SARS.
The group said they will no longer be receiving money and has now, along with other prominent groups, urged Nigeria’s youth to stay safe at home and obey mandated curfew in their cities. They have put their demands for peace online and are awaiting a response from the government.
Bibliography
“End Sars: How Nigeria's Anti-Police Brutality Protests Went Global.” BBC News, BBC, 16 Oct. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54575219.
“Nigeria Sars Protest: VP Yemi Osinbajo Promises Justice for Victims.” BBC News, BBC, 22 Oct. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54642947.
'A Nigerian Youth'. “Our 5 Demands.” End Sars, 11 Oct. 2020, endsars.com/demands.
