Summary

Nigerian youths are leading the #ENDSARS movement to protest against police brutality, specifically by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), and to demand comprehensive reforms and justice for victims.

Abstract

The #ENDSARS movement in Nigeria is a response to widespread police brutality perpetrated by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The squad, originally formed to combat violent crimes, has been implicated in numerous cases of human rights abuses, including extortion, torture, and extrajudicial killings, predominantly targeting young Nigerians. Despite previous attempts at reform and the disbandment of SARS, the introduction of the Special Weapon and Tactics team (SWAT) as a replacement has been met with skepticism, as it is seen as a mere rebranding. The Nigerian youth, through nationwide protests, are demanding the release of arrested protesters, justice for victims of police brutality, an independent investigation into misconduct, the retraining of police officers, and improved wages for the police force. The movement underscores the broader issues of governance and the failure of the Nigerian state to support its youth, with protesters insisting on tangible changes and accountability.

Opinions

The author expresses that SARS has overstepped its mandate and become a threat to the very citizens it was meant to protect, particularly young people.
There is a strong sentiment that the Nigerian Police have been insensitive and unyielding, as evidenced by their violent responses to peaceful protests.
The youth are depicted as victims of a corrupt system, facing harassment for simply owning luxury items or having a certain appearance.
The government's previous responses to the SARS crisis, including the disbandment of the unit, are viewed with cynicism, seen as superficial measures rather than genuine reforms.
The introduction of SWAT is criticized as a continuation of the same abusive practices under a different name.
The protests are portrayed as a fight for a better future, with the youth demanding not just an end to police brutality but also systemic change and the right to live without fear in their own country.
The author suggests that the global perception of Nigerian youth as criminals is a mischaracterization driven by the actions of corrupt leaders and the lack of support for the average young Nigerian.

I’m a Nigerian Youth, but Our Police Are Killing Us

Why the ongoing #ENDSARS protest is important to us

Photo by thegramboii_ used with Permission

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigerian Police (SARS) has whipped us in parts of our bodies that we can no longer bear, but react.

It has become a crime for most Nigerian youths to use iPhones, luxury cars, or even maintain a particular hairstyle or look.

If you are on dreads and tattoos, you’re seen as a criminal. And if you have an iPhone or drive a luxury car, then be prepared for the “complete police brutality.”

Some police officers even go as far as extorting money from innocent youths, threatening them with imprisonment and even death if they refuse to cooperate.

I’ve been harassed before and it was a terrible experience. My only “crime” was that I had an iPhone.

Enough Is Enough!

SARS, established as a faceless police unit to perform undercover operations against crimes like armed robbery, car snatching, and kidnapping, appears to have lost its bearing, focusing its compass on innocent, hardworking youths in the country. Often brandishing them as “hoodlums and thieves.”

A 2016 report by Amnesty International, revealed that SARS was responsible for human rights abuse, and other widespread torture around the country. And these attacks were predominantly targeted towards the youth.

“A 2020 publication by the Amnesty organization documented 82 cases of abuses and extrajudicial killings by SARS between January 2017 and May 2020.”

A petition signed by 10,195 people and submitted to Nigeria’s National Assembly in December 2017, calling for the total disbandment of SARS was not approved.

The former Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, accused the campaigners of being “criminals,” and their requests fell on deaf ears.

Things soon went from bad to worse and in no time, it got out of hands.

A video released on Twitter on the 3rd of October 2020, showing a SARS police officer shooting a young Nigerian in front of a Hotel, and parting away with his car, in Delta State, Nigeria, was the final nail in the coffin for us.

The Nigerian youth had seen enough!

It began the movement, the #ENDSARS movement.

The #ENDSARS Movement

A Nation-wide protest on #ENDSARS led predominantly by Nigerian youths along with many activists and celebrities, began on 8 October 2020, after weeks of outcry and anger over videos and pictures showing police brutality, and extortion.

That day, most parts of the country had a peaceful protest. But in some cities, the Nigerian Police – showing once again how unyielding and insensitive they can be, opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing one Mr. Jimoh Isiaq in the process and unlawfully arresting many others.

They even slapped an innocent woman who came to the police station to ask for the bail of her son.

The Demands of the #Endsars Movement

The Nigerian youths have put up five demands to be met by the Federal Government, and they include:

The immediate release of all those arrested during the protests.
Justice and compensation for all who died through police brutality in Nigeria.
An independent body must be set up within 10 days to investigate and prosecute all reports of police misconduct.
The psychological evaluation and retraining of SARS operatives before they are deployed to any other police unit.
Finally, the adequate remuneration and compensation of Nigerian police officers, so that they can adequately handle insecurity.

And how did the government respond?

Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, On Sunday, 11 October 2020, announced the “dissolution” of SARS. Lol

The truth is that they’ve done this before, four times for that matter.

They’ve made similar promises before, only to reassign SARS officers to other police departments, rather than eliminate them from the force entirely.

To make matters worse, President Muhammad Buhari’s led government introduced the “Special Weapon and Tactics team (SWAT)” to replace SARS.

But from what we can see, nothing has changed.

You cannot change the name of a group and say that you’ve completely dissolved it.

This Protest Mean a Lot to Us

Nigerian youths will not relent, we will continue with this peaceful protest until our demands are met.

There’s so much happening in the country and we’ve been keeping quiet, but not anymore.

This protest is more than just SARS.

“SARS is a physical representation of what the Nigerian state is to the average Nigerian youth.”

It is about a government that has done absolutely nothing to support the average youth.

The world has labeled Nigerian youths as “internet fraudsters” and “human traffickers,” because of our corrupt leaders.

With the increasing rate of unemployment in the country, tell me why crime will not surface?

I’ve been a graduate for two years now, still, I don’t know if I’ll ever get a job.

Yes, our leaders have failed us and now our police are killing us.

I have no freedom in my own country.

We are demanding justice!

Change is what we want!

As Nigerian youths, we’ve always been told that “we are the leaders of tomorrow,” but if the people that are supposed to be protecting us are killing us, then I’m afraid we may not have a tomorrow to lead.

American musician, Trey Songz says it better:

“Police brutality in America is often an abuse of power, driven by race. But to be brutalized, extorted, and murdered by your people, is unimaginable.”