EndSARS | Nigeria

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad, more commonly referred to as SARS, is a unit of the Nigerian Police Force with an infamous reputation. It was established in 1992 with the purpose of investigating and detaining people guilty of armed robberies, kidnappings, carjacking, and using illegal firearms. The unit was meant to conduct undercover operations in order to prevent all of those violent crimes. However, it has a long history of grievances such as profiling young, male Nigerians for petty reasons, setting up illegal road blocks, performing searches of vehicles and homes without a warrant, arresting people without a warrant and refusing to allow a trial, raping women, kidnapping, humiliating citizens, extorting money, and partaking in torture and murder. The branch of the Nigerian Police Force meant to stop violent crimes was instead contributing to the problem.

This prompted End SARS to rise and gain popularity with its motto, “soro soke” which in English means, “speak up”. End SARS is a movement determined to disband SARS and combat police brutality in Nigeria, as its name might suggest. Participants of the movement protest, host marches, voice themselves online and on social media, and commit civil disobedience, the refusal to obey certain laws or to pay certain fines. Even though this movement began in 2017, it died down for three years before reemerging with full force in 2020. Even major celebrities in the United States, such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Cardi B, and Drake, began supporting this movement for peace and justice.

The reason for the 2020 resurrection was a video that was released near the beginning of October. It displayed a horrifying scene of SARS officers “dragging two men out of a hotel and shooting one of them” (Bakare) and then taking away that man’s vehicle. Afterwards, more cases of SARS officers’ abuse of power were revealed through other videos and pictures taken. Another such instance includes the death of aspiring musician Daniel Chibuike, also known as Sleek to friends, family, and neighbors, who was unjustly labeled as a thief before being fatally shot. The Nigerian Police attempted to disband the protests fueled by blatant abuse of power, only to kill another man by the name of Jimoh Isiaq. This is what happens when they use water cannons and shoot at harmless protestors.

Brave women have come forth from the shadows and made a name for themselves through the End SARS movement. Rinu Oduala, age 22, was one of the first to “set up camp outside the Lagos governor's office on 7 October” (Olaoluwa) to demand that the police unit be disbanded. She also effectively rallied support through social media, particularly Twitter, and provided blankets for those who did decide to join her in camping outside the building. Her presence and activism frightens the Nigerian government enough that they decided to freeze her bank account. Another woman Modupe Odele, a lawyer who “offered legal aid to those arrested during the demonstrations” (Olaoluwa), had her passport revoked. Since then, many more Nigerian women have joined the social movement to make a difference.

Finally on October 11, 2020, the Nigerian Police Force officially declared that SARS had been disbanded and two officers were fired. At first, Nigerian citizens cheered for this victory, but the celebrations were abruptly cut short when the “plan to redeploy members of the unit in other jobs” (Paquette) was announced. Protestors were quick to reject the proposal for they believed that it is the equivalent of not dissolving SARS. The same people that committed these heinous crimes were not only not fired, but simply assigned to another branch with around the same amount of authority and power. However, despite the new uproar, Muhammadu Buhari, the current president of Nigeria, only “pledged” that there will be reform and “urged citizens to be patient” (Paquette).

References

Bakare, S.A. “The #EndSARS Movement Is Just The Beginning.” AZ Magazine, 22 Oct. 2020, azmagazine.co.uk/the-endsars-movement-is-just-the-beginning/.

Olaoluwa, Azeezat. “End Sars Protests: The Nigerian Women Leading the Fight for Change.” BBC News, BBC, 1 Dec. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55104025.

Paquette, Danielle. “Why Are People Talking about Nigeria and #EndSARS?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 22 Oct. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/endsars-nigeria-police-brutality-sars-lekki-protest/2020/10/22/27e31e0c-143d-11eb-a258-614acf2b906d_story.html.