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From: TT
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1 of 3 | Photo: Domingo Alamba / AP / TT
Many in Nigeria take to the streets to protest. The photo is from last Monday.
The protest movement in Nigeria demands change, and that is what the country’s president cares about, according to Nigeria expert Carl LeVan. Dissatisfaction with the violent Sars special forces is widespread.
Here are some reasons why the protesters that shook the country in October had enough.
Violent Special Forces Sars
The protesters’ anger was directed at the anti-theft police force Sars (special anti-theft squad), which is accused of violence and harassment.
– Sars was created in 1992 and has long been deprecated. It was formed during the military dictatorship and is an example of something that was formed under a military regime, but was not really abolished after the transition to civilian rule, says Carl LeVan, professor at the American University in Washington DC and author of the book “Contemporary Nigerian Politics”. “.
Human rights organizations have criticized the unit for several years, including the amnesty documenting 82 cases of torture, ill-treatment and extrajudicial executions between 2017 and 2020.
– Everyone has some bad experience with Sars. And when there is a movement with an agenda, people can come together and share their experiences. And that’s what’s happening, says LeVan, who himself says he was harassed by Sars.
The government has disbanded the force as a result of the protests and promised reforms within the police.
– But a new unit, Swat, was created immediately and has already been rejected by activists.
Some tradition of protests
Nigerians have taken to the streets several times since 2010 and protested, according to LeVan.
– They are gathered around a few clear requirements, making it easy to meet the requirements. In 2012 gasoline prices were reduced and in 2010 electoral reforms were demanded. Perhaps it was the first time that there were large demonstrations in the capital, Abuja, which is generally not a place where people have taken to the streets to demonstrate.
Unsolved cases since the dictatorship
Nigeria has made many democratic advances since the transition from a military dictatorship to a democratic government in 1999.
– But there are things about the rule of law that have never been rectified, which I think is due to the agreements between the military and civilian politicians in 1999. The military was largely granted impunity back then, and now we are here. Democratic society has failed to be held accountable. Now people demand it directly. They are trying to resolve what is unresolved since the transition.
Clear requirements
Carl LeVan describes the demands of the protest movement as fairly straightforward. These include the release of detainees, the establishment of an independent body to investigate police violence, and the training and evaluation of former Sars employees before being reinstated as police officers.
Scots in Lagos
In October, soldiers opened fire on protesters in two locations in Lagos, killing at least 12 people, according to Amnesty International. The massacre turned the world’s eyes to Nigeria, but the protests had already been going on for a couple of weeks.
The shooting caused anger to flare in some places. In Lagos, vehicles were burned and buses and shots were heard in the days after the protesters were shot.
The actions of the president
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari failed to quell the outrage. There is great disappointment for him in the protest movement, according to LeVan.
– People try to get him to say the right things. He gave a speech in which he did not admit that the military had fired the protesters, did not apologize to their families. He did not share the nation’s pain, which is as important as anger. He’s still talking about trying to understand what happened. It is not leadership that heals and lets people move on.
The government has tried to convince the protesters to listen to them and, among other things, has launched investigations. But at the same time, he is said to be using his power to oppress activists, according to The New York Times.
False rumors
Many rumors have been spread regarding the protests and a lot of false information is circulating, according to the British BBC.
– Has accelerated in recent weeks. Nigeria is a place where WhatsApp (communication app) is used a lot and it is easy to spread false information there. It is very difficult to correct false information that may have spread in several stages. You can’t correct it or trace the information back to anyone who has received a message, says Carl LeVan.
Does the impact of black lives matter?
It is easy to believe that Nigeria is inspired by other protest movements around the world, notably the lives of blacks in the United States, who also protest against, among other things, police violence.
– Nigerians did not need the Americans to tell them that the Sars force was aggressive and violent. But there is a global movement in which we see that the limits of democracy are widening. I think that different countries are monitoring each other, as we saw with the Arab Spring. It’s a domestic move, but it has certain similar requirements, like demanding accountability and that residents have the right to feel safe, says Carl LeVan.
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