Nigeria's #endSARS movement: what you need to know

According to an Amnesty International investigation (opens in new tab), at least 12 peaceful protesters in Nigeria were killed on October 20 by the very police brutality they were protesting against, the BBC (opens in new tab) reported in early October, A large group of young Nigerians had been gathering and marching against the armed police SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) since a video was released that appeared to show SARS officers shooting a young man from a car and then quickly driving away. [Amnesty International reports that the October 20 shootings occurred in two suburbs of Lagos, where government officials allegedly removed nearby surveillance cameras and took out some of the people they had wounded or killed before police and military personnel opened fire on the thousands of demonstrators who had gathered.

"Firing on peaceful demonstrators is a blatant violation of people's rights to life, dignity, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly. In a statement (opens in new tab), Osai Osigo, Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said. These shootings are clearly extrajudicial executions. There must be an immediate investigation and the alleged perpetrators must be held accountable through a fair trial."

Here's what you need to know about SARS and the ongoing #endSARS protests and global movement.

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad was established in 1992 as a division of the Nigeria Police Force to deal with violent crimes such as armed robbery, cattle rustling, and kidnapping. Soon, however, SARS became notorious throughout Nigeria for its deep-rooted corruption and brutal treatment of detainees, which in many cases amounted to serious human rights violations (opens in new tab) SARS' main targets were young Nigerians, especially well-dressed, tattooed, dreadlocks and who own expensive items such as cars and iPhones. (This is why one of the popular slogans of the #endSARS protests is "Being modern is not a crime.")

Although the government has disbanded and restructured SARS numerous times and passed legislation in 2017 to ban police torture, the group's violence continues; between January 2017 and May 2020 alone, SARS has been linked to at least 82 cases of torture, ill-treatment, and extrajudicial executions.

After the most recent SARS disbandment, on October 11, the Nigerian police established in its place (opens in new tab) a special arms and tactics unit. However, according to the BBC (opens in new tab), many Nigerians believe that SWAT is merely a rebranding rather than a reform of SARS, and that many former members of SARS have simply been reassigned to SWAT, with no mechanism to prevent the continuation of their violent methods for so-called "law and order." I am concerned that there is no.

The #endSARS movement and its accompanying hashtag began in 2017, Time (opens in new tab) reports. Protests against police brutality and corruption have been organized and populated largely by Nigerian youths who have been disproportionately targeted by violent police forces, although they have no formal leadership. The latest wave of protests began on October 8 and has continued daily since then in many major Nigerian cities and towns. [These peaceful protests against police brutality have been consistently met with police brutality and excessive force, with SARS personnel and soldiers using water cannons, tear gas, and live ammunition against protesters. According to Amnesty International (opens in new tab), at least 10 protesters had been killed by October 15. The death toll reportedly doubled on October 15. Human rights groups estimate that at least 28 people have been killed in widespread attacks, including shootings in the Lagos suburbs of Lekki and Alausa on October 20 (open in new tab). A total of 56 Nigerians are believed to have been killed and hundreds injured since the protests began.

A Time (opens in new tab) report (opens in new tab) by Abuja, Nigeria-based writer and political analyst Gimba Kakanda describes in horrific detail the violent treatment he faced while attending the #endSARS protests on October 11 It describes. Kakanda describes how police grabbed his cell phone, smashed it, and beat him before transferring him to police headquarters. There he was told by his police supervisor, "I am glad the encounter was in the daytime and not at night. Because if it had been at night, they would have killed us and erased all traces of our existence," he writes.

The SARS has been working on a number of measures to help the police: the immediate release of all detained protesters; justice for victims of police brutality and their families; the establishment of an independent monitoring group to investigate reports of police misconduct; psychological evaluation and retraining of all SARS police officers before their reassignment; and an increase in police salaries to reward them for stopping corruption and protecting the public.

Furthermore, as time passes without effective reforms to police tactics, the #endSARS movement is only expanding to encompass more demands from protesters. As detailed in Kakanda and in the October 20 Daily Show section (opens in new tab), Nigerians are now marching for a comprehensive social revolution that, in addition to stopping police brutality, includes jobs, schools, improved infrastructure, and an end to government corruption.

In response to the October 20 shootings, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's office issued a statement on October 21 calling for "understanding and calm" in order to implement "a series of reform policies that will make the police system accountable to the Nigerian people," the BBC (opens in new tab) reported. The statement, however, made no direct reference to the tragic deaths of dozens of Nigerians the previous day.

In Lagos, Time (open in new tab) reported that Governor Obaidide Sanwo-Olu said at a television briefing on October 21 that he had ordered an investigation into the attacks in Lekki.

In addition, government officials reportedly implemented a 24-hour curfew (opens in new tab) in several areas of the country, affecting millions of Nigerians.

On October 20, after the latest wave of peaceful protests against SARS and SWAT were greeted by more police violence, people around the world took notice, launching protests and supporting the protesters' mission by signing petitions and increasing the visibility of the protests on social media.

In an October 21 statement (open in new tab), the UN Secretary-General condemned the previous day's violence, calling for "an end to the reported police brutality and abuse" and urging local authorities to "quickly seek means to alleviate the situation."

While Donald Trump has yet to condemn or even comment on the violence, Joe Biden issued a statement (opens in new tab) on the police and military response to the peaceful protests: "I am writing to President Buhari and the Nigerian military, who have already killed several I urge President Buhari and the Nigerian military to end their violent repression of Nigerian protesters, which has already resulted in several deaths. The United States must stand with Nigerians who are peacefully demonstrating for police reform and an end to corruption in our democracy. I urge the government to engage in good faith dialogue with civil society to address these longstanding grievances and work together for a more just and inclusive Nigeria.

In addition, Beyonce, Rihanna, John Boyega, and countless other celebrities have stood in solidarity with the Nigerian protesters.

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