#EndSARS: Why and how the youth is fighting back against police brutality in Nigeria.
Tokini Peterside founded ART X Lagos in 2016 and was the first international art fair of West Africa. It promoted contemporary art from Africa and its historical diaspora. Despite heading into a 5th successful year, ART X Lagos has announced it will be postponing the affair in respect to the lives lost at the #EndSARS protest. They have also taken to Instagram to document the “groundbreaking movement” and using their platform to spread awareness through creative expression and art.
SARS stands for Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a specialised police unit established in 1991. They were created to combat armed robbery and were granted many civil liberties, but are now facing extreme accusations both locally and internationally for rape, extra-judicial killings, torture and extortion – the very crimes they were supposed to stop. The #EndSARS peaceful protest started after a video circulated online allegedly showing a SARS member killing a man and driving off in his jeep. According to OXFAM, 70% of the Nigerian population live under the poverty line, which draws attention to the injustices and inequality of the country that is perpetuated by the very people who were supposed to protect it.
As people under 30 make up 40% of the Nigerian population, their collective voices hold great power as they now strive to keep the government accountable for their safety. This is not the first time the youth have protested against injustices of Nigeria but marks the first for international coverage, thanks to social media.
Women have also taken to leading the protests with the Feminist Coalition raising nearly $400,000 to fund the protests around Nigeria, including proving free medical care and legal assistance. The group of Nigerian feminists was established in July 2020 as they strive to achieve education, financial freedom and female representation in government. The protests gained a lot of international traction when celebrities and influential people such as Beyonce and Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, shed light onto the issue.
The peaceful protests called for many people, from celebrities to the normal youth, DJ booths and tents were erected across the country as civilians took to block major roads to chant their demands. However, despite protesting peacefully tear gas, water cannons and bullets were unleashed onto civilians. Unfortunately, this escalated on October 20th and the Nigerian Army opened fire on protestors who were singing the national anthem at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lags.
Amnesty International say at least 12 civilians died during the peaceful march however the Nigerian Army has responded to it saying it was “fake news.” Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has also gone on air to address the peaceful protests as he encouraged the youth to “discontinue the street protests and constructively engage the government in finding solutions. Your voice has been heard loud and clear and we are responding”. However, he failed to address the brutal shooting of the peaceful protestors.
Protests have evolved to not only shut down the corrupt SARS but also for police and government reform. Amnesty International has recorded 82 cases of police brutality between 2017 and 2020 where SARS committed atrocious crimes in custody. These include torture in the form of hanging, beatings, water boarding, sexual violence and many more.
Diasporans Against SARS is currently accepting donations via GoFundMe to fund organisations such as Feminist Coalition to support the protests.
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