Social media, especially Nigerian Twitter went ballistic a few days to the 60th Independence Day anniversary of Nigeria when several reports of brutality and extortion by a certain unit of the police force were published by victims from different parts of the country especially in Lagos State. Although the conversation seemed to have died down it erupted again as the hashtag EndSARS trended continuously on Twitter. Young Nigerians were furious that neither the President, his Vice nor the Governor of Lagos State made any statements to acknowledge their agitations online. Even when VP Yemi Osinbajo and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made comments online condemning the behaviour of the FSARs Unit of the Nigerian Police, it was too late for talk, citizens wanted action.
This is not the first time that the topic of ending SARS is coming up for national discuss; this has always been resolved by the government making declarations about reformation and reorientation of the police force to be more people friendly and civil in their activities.
This time the people are not satisfied with mere talk, they want action. So the youth decided to take to the streets to protest an end to SARS. From peaceful protests at Lekki tollgate to the House of Assembly at Alausa, Lagos, Nigerian youths are not taking no for an answer. While a few celebrities have backed and participated in this protest, it is clear that everyday Nigerians directly and indirectly affected by SARS are not backing down. A group of protesters have spent the night at Alausa in front of the Governor’s office since Wednesday demanding an end to police brutality and the FSARs unit.
The Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) is a branch of the Nigeria Police Force under the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID). The squad deals with crimes associated with armed robbery, car snatching, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and crimes associated to firearms. SARS officers carry guns, but do not wear Nigerian police uniforms or badges (much like similar “plainclothes” police units in other nations).
An emergency session was held today at the Lagos State House of Assembly which protesters were invited to observe. Although not much was achieved during the session, it is a step in the right direction. Although these protests are going on simultaneously across different States in the federation, only the Lagos State Assembly has responded in such a manner. The bulk really stops at the federal level, not the States. The federal government needs to be upfront and clear about what it intends to do to solve this problem.
The hope is that an end is brought to Police brutality and citizens gain trust and feel safe in their own country.
