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In Nigeria, since the beginning of October there have been major protests against the use of force by the police, in particular by the Special Anti-Theft Squad (SARS), units accused over years of serious human rights violations of which the Protesters demand abolition. However, the protests have spread over the weeks and protesters have called for a more comprehensive reform of the country.
The protest movement began after a video showing SARS agents killing a young man in the southern city of Ughelli on social media went viral on October 3, but Nigerian authorities claim the video was false. The man who did it was arrested, increasing the anger of the protesters.
There were demonstrations in all the main cities of Nigeria: marches with hundreds of protesters, especially young people, were in Lagos, the largest city in the country, and in the capital Abuja, where the police intervened with tear gas to disperse the population. crowd. On October 11, the Nigerian police chief announced that SARS would be disbanded with immediate effect, but protests continued to demand justice for victims of police violence.
We are in war? Watch them shoot unarmed civilians #endsars #Massacre of light #LekkitollgateMassacre #Lekkitollgate pic.twitter.com/my6itbh2iQ
– Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) October 21, 2020
Protesters being squirted into the #EndSARS protest currently underway in Abuja #EndPoliceBrutalityinNigeria #EndSARSProtest #EndSarsNow pic.twitter.com/zClYOFRjeJ
– Nigerian Customs Broadcasting Network (@ncbn_ng) October 11, 2020
On 20 October, the army and the police fired at protesters in two districts of Lagos. According to Amnesty International, 12 protesters were reported killed and hundreds injured. The army denied involvement in the killing of civilians and spoke of “fake news”. The violence was condemned, among others, by Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth Secretary General, Dominic Raab, British Chancellor and Moussa Faki, Chairman of the Commission of the African Union (the international organization that brings together all African states). In London there were demonstrations of solidarity with the protest movement and a large crowd gathered in front of the Nigerian embassy.
Fake news !!! pic.twitter.com/4c1LHhRD7s
– Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) October 20, 2020
On Wednesday night, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, in a televised speech, invited his compatriots to be patient, claiming that the government was implementing police reforms requested by protesters, but made no reference to the attacks. and deaths and injuries on October 20, and for this he was harshly criticized, especially on social media. However, after the president’s speech, the Feminist Coalition, one of the main organizing groups of the protests, asked the protesters to remain inside and respect the curfew imposed by the government. In a statement posted on Twitter, the group condemned all forms of violence and said that Nigerian youth “must stay alive to pursue our dreams of building the future” of the country.
The Nigerian president addressed the nation tonight, following the shooting at protesters. He did not mention that security forces opened fire at Lekki Toll Gate. Many of those around me (Nigerians) are reacting with disbelief and anger. https://t.co/5OyQTTpepT
– Paul Carsten (@PaulCarsten) October 22, 2020
The Feminist Coalition has also announced that it will no longer receive money, but that it will use the 400 thousand dollars (about 340 thousand euros) raised and not yet spent, most of it from foreign donations, to pay hospital expenses for injured protesters, and assistance legal aid and aid to victims of police violence. It is not yet clear whether the other groups of protesters, who on social media, since the first days of October, had used the hashtag #EndSARS, will continue the street protests or take a more peaceful position like that of the Feminist Coalition.
A statement from The Feminist Coalition. October 22, 2020. pic.twitter.com/MG6deijfdG
– feminist coalition (@feminist_co) October 22, 2020
However, protests continued on Thursday, despite the curfew. In Lagos, a Nigerian television channel linked to one of the most prominent politicians in the ruling party was attacked by unidentified men armed with Molotov cocktails. In another district of the city, a bus station caught fire and there were clashes between protesters, who threw bottles, and policemen who responded by firing into the air. Protesters have built barricades in some neighborhoods, while the police have installed barricades. There were also clashes between police and protesters in other Nigerian cities, including the capital Abuja.
The movement, on paper at least, got most of its demands, in addition to the dissolution of SARS: the release of part of the detained protesters, the establishment of investigation groups across the country to investigate allegations of police violence. (although it is not yet clear how independent they really are), a review of police salaries, and periodic medical and psychological evaluations of officers. However, the movement to date has not obtained guarantees that victims of police violence and their families will be compensated or that justice will be done.
The events have had more and more international visibility, also thanks to the solidarity messages of famous Nigerians in the world, also in Italy: on October 17, the Serie A players Victor Osimhen from Napoli and Simy from Crotone showed a shirt with the words #EndPoliceBrutalityInNigeria, exulting after scoring a goal.
Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa and the seventh country in the world by population, but the development of the country has been very uneven. Approximately 60% of the population, of 200 million inhabitants, is under 24 years old and many young people feel excluded from a political system that serves the interests of a small part of society. According to New York Times, the protests of the last weeks would have been carried out, unlike in the past, by well-educated middle-class young people from the southern and central cities of the country, and in better conditions than previous generations.
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