Unrest in Nigeria
For over a month now protesters in Nigeria have been demanding for police reform and an end to unfair governance. The protests began as a demand to shut down the Special Anti-Robbery Squad also known as SARS, but they have grown to much more than that. The protests have become "an EndSARS battle cry... a tone of rebellion, a note of valid belligerency and a chant of unification in the Nigerian struggle against police brutality and terrible governance," wrote Motolani Alake, a journalist for Nigeria's Pulse newspaper. The protesters have also been demanding economic equality. Economic inequality has reached extreme levels in Nigeria. Seventy percent of the country's population live below the poverty line.
For over a month now protesters in Nigeria have been demanding for police reform and an end to unfair governance. The protests began as a demand to shut down the Special Anti-Robbery Squad also known as SARS, but they have grown to much more than that. The protests have become "an EndSARS battle cry... a tone of rebellion, a note of valid belligerency and a chant of unification in the Nigerian struggle against police brutality and terrible governance," wrote Motolani Alake, a journalist for Nigeria's Pulse newspaper. The protesters have also been demanding economic equality. Economic inequality has reached extreme levels in Nigeria. Seventy percent of the country's population live below the poverty line.
SARS was created in 1992 to fight armed robberies and was given an extremely wide range of powers. Many officers did not wear uniforms or name tags to identify themselves. In June 2020, human rights organization Amnesty International wrote a report saying people in SARS custody were “exposed to various methods of torture”. SARS has been attacked online since 2017. There have been numerous complaints that they had now turned on citizens and were committing the very crimes that they were set up to combat. There have been 82 documented cases of police brutality in Nigeria from 2017 to 2020. There have been multiple failed government plans to get rid of SARS in the past. The catalyst of the recent protests was a video that surfaced online of police attacking a man and driving away in his luxury jeep.
SARS was created in 1992 to fight armed robberies and was given an extremely wide range of powers. Many officers did not wear uniforms or name tags to identify themselves. In June 2020, human rights organization Amnesty International wrote a report saying people in SARS custody were “exposed to various methods of torture”. SARS has been attacked online since 2017. There have been numerous complaints that they had now turned on citizens and were committing the very crimes that they were set up to combat. There have been 82 documented cases of police brutality in Nigeria from 2017 to 2020. There have been multiple failed government plans to get rid of SARS in the past. The catalyst of the recent protests was a video that surfaced online of police attacking a man and driving away in his luxury jeep.
Most of the protesters have been members of Gen Y, people under the age of 35 in Nigeria. The protests began as peaceful demonstrations, but have led to looting and violence.
Most of the protesters have been members of Gen Y, people under the age of 35 in Nigeria. The protests began as peaceful demonstrations, but have led to looting and violence.
Due to the pressure of the protests, President Muhammadu Buhari dissolved the SARS unit, however the protests have continued as people are demanding wider reform. The protests escalated quickly leading to at least 70 demonstrators being killed and hundreds more injured. The recent protests in Lagos have seen widespread looting and property damage.
Due to the pressure of the protests, President Muhammadu Buhari dissolved the SARS unit, however the protests have continued as people are demanding wider reform. The protests escalated quickly leading to at least 70 demonstrators being killed and hundreds more injured. The recent protests in Lagos have seen widespread looting and property damage.
The EndSARS movement in Nigeria has been compared to the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. Although there are obviously some similarities between the two, there are also some important differences. The protests in the US have been much more peaceful and centered almost exclusively around police brutality whereas the protests in Nigeria have stemmed to protests about bad governance in general. In addition, the protests in Nigeria have led to much more violence and looting then the ones in the US. The Nigerian protests have gained national attention and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight.
The EndSARS movement in Nigeria has been compared to the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. Although there are obviously some similarities between the two, there are also some important differences. The protests in the US have been much more peaceful and centered almost exclusively around police brutality whereas the protests in Nigeria have stemmed to protests about bad governance in general. In addition, the protests in Nigeria have led to much more violence and looting then the ones in the US. The Nigerian protests have gained national attention and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight.