It is Day 3 of the #EndSARS peaceful protests in Nigeria. People are camped outside government houses or patrolling the streets in a nationwide revolution against Police brutality. Social media is rife with stories about young people who are hunted, killed, tortured, and raped for no other crime but the misfortune of being born Nigerian.
History
SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) is an arm of the Police Force founded in 1992. This ‘special’ force was created to curb armed robbery and kidnapping in Nigeria with a group of armed officers dressed as civilians. Yet, the bigger their influence, the more SARS derails from their aim. A force that was created to protect the people from Oppressors have become the Oppressors themselves, unstoppable because they have the backing of the government.
Time and time again, stories have circulated in the media about young men getting picked up, profiled as criminals, tortured and/or killed. Reports of women and even children, raped and terrorized by SARS officials, their families bullied into silence. In 2017, Segun Awosanya, a Nigerian Human Rights Activist, started the #EndSARS campaign on Twitter in a move to scrap the entire unit of the force. Today, that movement has grown with the outrage, and tweeting a hashtag furiously is no longer enough. All over Nigeria, people are taking to the streets to protest for their lives in the face of the mindless brutality that has been endured for so long.
The #EndSARS Movement
#EndSARS is the number one trending topic on Nigerian Twitter and worldwide, gaining momentum as more Celebrities and Influencers have joined in the outcry. From Lagos, Nigeria to Washington DC, peaceful protests are being planned and funds are raised. In Nigeria, the likes of Wizkid, Runtown, Falz, FK Abudu, Rinu, Mr.Macaroni, Small Doctor, and many others, are spearheading the campaign. International acts like John Boyega, Chance The Rapper, Trey Songz, and Estelle have also lent their voices to this cause.
Out here #EndSARS pic.twitter.com/GYDtwdruNl
— FK. (@fkabudu) October 10, 2020
SARS is not the only arm of the Police Force terrorizing the people they were charged to protect. In 2019, some women in Abuja arrested for alleged prostitution were teargassed, raped, and assaulted by Policemen. Several people are being gunned down on the streets by trigger-happy policemen, including a recent case of a 16-year old girl, Tina Ezekwe, who was shot dead for no reason. For all the stories that have made it to the media, a thousand more remain untold, as more and more Nigerians stay rotting in unknown cells that they have no business being in. That is the scariest part of it all.
What can you do to get involved?
Interested in contributing to this cause? here are some of the things you can do:
- Send a message to Nigerian senators by clicking here. It is an automated platform that allows you to select a senator’s number/email and pass your message by simply hitting “send.”
- Join the peaceful protests in your country or state.
- Engage and trend the hashtag #EndSARs on your respective social media platforms
- Sign this petition to end SARS
- Donate to assist people who have been injured in the protests here.
To get more enlightened on the history of Police brutality in Nigeria, this site will help you.
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