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They marched in tens of thousands chanting “Enough is Enough” against police brutality and violence.
The group’s initial demands were to shut down a notorious police unit known as the Special Anti-Theft Squad, or SARS, but since then the marches have morphed into protests in favor of police reform and an end to bad government in the most populous country. from Africa.
One of the popular chants used during the protests was “soro soke”, which means “to speak” in the country’s Yoruba language.
Economic inequality has reached extreme levels in Nigeria, according to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, while Oxfam reported that in 2019 about 70% of the country’s population lives below the poverty line.
Now, with this protest movement, they are making their voices heard and speaking out against the violence, harassment and extortion that they claim to have suffered at the hands of SARS agents.
The SARS unit was created in 1992 to combat armed robbery and was given wide powers. Many of the officers do not wear uniforms or identification tags to identify them.
There have been numerous reports that they had now turned against citizens and were perpetrating the very crimes they were meant to combat.
Amnesty International documented 82 cases of police brutality in Nigeria between 2017 and 2020. In a damning report published in June 2020, the human rights organization said that people in SARS custody were “subjected to a variety of torture methods, including hanging, mock executions, beatings, punches and kicks, burning with cigarettes, waterboarding, almost suffocation with plastic bags, forcing detainees into stressful body positions and sexual violence. “
It sparked the use of the #EndSARS hashtag and two popular musicians, Runtown and Falz, decided to hold an offline march to voice their complaints.
Falz, whose real name is Folarin Falana, said they expected “a handful of people,” but were surprised when hundreds showed up, including other celebrities.
“Everybody is dissatisfied and the fact that the government does not react to this level of protest is pure indifference towards the people. This administration is very insensitive,” Falz told CNN at the time.
Soon, the movement developed organically across the country as years of frustration and anger spilled over among marginalized youth.
“Nigeria is facing a reckoning, which has long been expected,” said Yetunde Omede, a professor of politics and global affairs in New York.
“With a growing number of young people under the age of 30, Nigeria can no longer ignore the demands of young people.”
During the protests, participants set up tents and DJ booths in various parts of the country.
“This is an awakening of Gen Y, who is under 35 years old, and it will have a significant impact on the political landscape,” analyst Amaka Anku, who heads the Africa Practice at Eurasia Group, told CNN.
“I think the movement will define political consciousness. It will lead to increased turnout in 2023 and helped define campaign issues for the 2023 elections,” Anku added.
The movement itself wasn’t just about police brutality, Omede says.
“These are years of ongoing social trauma caused by inadequate health systems and educational institutions, systemic corruption, nepotism, voter fraud, poverty and more,” he said.
“The EndSARS movement was the turning point.”
Not surprisingly, the EndSARS protests in Nigeria have been compared to Black Lives Matter’s fight against police brutality in the United States.
It has attracted massive global support with solidarity protests in the UK, the US, Germany and other parts of the world.
Celebrities such as Kanye West, John Boyega and Rihanna, among many others, tweeted in support of the movement, highlighting the hashtag #EndSARS globally.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted about the move, while his platform granted verified blue brand status to some of those who were prominent in the move and created an emoji symbol for it.
There was no discernible leadership in the decentralized structure of the movement and the young people were quick to reject anyone who tried to insert themselves as a leader for fear of being compromised.
A feminist coalition
They posted a real-time accounting of their spending on Twitter and quickly garnered praise for their openness and responsibility, something Nigerians have long demanded of their leaders.
One of the protesters, who wanted to be known only as CM, because she says she has received multiple threats, told CNN: “We are united as young Nigerians. It has been the scariest, scariest and most heartbreaking moment, but regardless of class. , tribe and all that, we come together to say that we do not want to be killed, extorted, harassed, brutalized.
“One thing I’ve gotten out of all of this is that the moment people come together, they can achieve anything,” he added.
The global support and strength of the EndSARS movement clearly shook the establishment which has responded with brute force and a level of violence that has led to global anger and condemnation.
On Tuesday, October 20, protesters sitting and singing the national anthem said they were barricaded on both sides of the Lekki toll gate and shot by Nigerian security forces.
Figures from Amnesty say that at least 12 people died.
DJ Switch was live streaming the protests on his Instagram page when the shooting occurred.
She told CNN: “I’m heartbroken. There was no warning. We only heard shots and the soldiers entered with firearms. It’s the worst I’ve ever seen in my life. They just shot like we were goats and chickens. ”
The Nigerian military has published that the reports are “fake news”. The military has not responded to multiple requests for comment from CNN.
Even before Tuesday’s shooting, protesters had faced tear gas, water cannons and live ammunition during their peaceful marches.
Even when Nigerian Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu announced the dissolution of SARS, for at least the fourth time in four years, protesters were dispersed with tear gas, water cannons and live bullets.
Aisha Yesufu, 45, is a veteran activist who campaigned for the return of kidnapped Nigerian Chibok girls and joined the protests in Abuja from the beginning.
She goes out of her way to point out that the movement is being led by “the youth of Nigeria” and that she is “simply giving them moral support.”
Yet few can forget the image of her, her fists clenched in the air and defiantly as she confronted police in the country’s capital Abuja on October 10.
“I raised my hand and clenched my fist and started to walk backwards slowly, they were shooting at me,” Yesufu said.
“I braced myself for the impact and they were throwing tear gas at me. I said to myself, ‘It doesn’t matter what I’m going to get off on my feet.’ I was preparing for the pain that would come from any impact,” she added.
CNN reached out to the Nigerian police force to comment on the allegations against the officers. Lagos State spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi said that all complaints against its officers are carefully investigated and appropriate sanctions are applied to violators.
A government under pressure
After days of silence, President Buhari addressed the nation on Thursday, but did not respond to Tuesday’s military attack on peaceful protesters.
Instead, he issued a thinly veiled threat to young people to get off the streets and stop the protests. The speech was poorly received, with many saying it showed no empathy or responsibility for the deaths of Nigerians.
In the wake of the speech, many Nigerians said they felt discouraged and typically responded online with humor to mask their disappointment.
Soon, “Canada visa”, “is finished” and “international passport” became hot topics on Twitter.
As for the End Sars movement, they are taking Buhari’s message seriously and say they are stopping physical protests to focus on online unrest.
CM told CNN: “The protests are over, but we still have many questions about the people who lost their lives. The movement is not over.”
“Now we have to think about it a little more strategically because we no longer want people to lose their lives. We don’t want anyone else to be in danger.”
“For the sake of the well-being of our comrades and ordinary citizens who are adversely affected by this, we will de-prioritize physical protests, for now,” the statement said.
“But, for the sake of those who died, before the protests, during the protests, and at the hands of the soldiers at the Lekki toll gate, people whom the government has largely refused to recognize, THE FIGHT MUST CONTINUE “.
The move, which has been described as “hydra-headed”, may have had one of its heads severed by now. But he certainly has a force now to be reckoned with, and one that has given Nigerian youth a chance to be heard.
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