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Protest in Nigeria

Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty

Nigerians are immersed in daily protests across the country advocating for the end of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Though the #EndSARS movement has existed since 2017, a series of events became topline for organizers working towards the cause.

Demonstrators who have taken to the streets over several weeks to disband the SARS which is accused of widespread claims of kidnapping, harassment and extortion, while also targeting LGBTQ communities in Nigeria. Since SARS is backed by the government, this is state sanctioned violence being weaponized against its own people, showing the parallels of what Black communities deal with stateside and abroad.

On October 3, a young man was killed in Southern Nigeria during a stop and search but Nigerian police claimed SARS had no involvement in his death, sparking nationwide protests to disband the unit.

On October 11, the office of president Muhammadu Buhari released a statement confirming SARS was “dissolved with immediate effect.” But organizers feel the reforms they have called for in addition to disbanding the unit have fallen on deaf ears.

On Tuesday tensions came to a bloody head with witnesses reporting targeted fire at demonstrators resulting in fatalities and injuries as they gathered in the Lekki district in Lagos hours after a state wide curfew was imposed by authorities.

“They started firing ammunition toward the crowd. They were firing into the crowd,” Alfred Ononugbo, a 55-year-old security officer told Al Jazeera. “I saw the bullet hit one or two persons.”

Amnesty International has launched an investigation into Tuesday’s events and reported on Monday that 15 people have been killed since the onset of the protests.

However government officials are offering differing reports, claiming that soldiers were not at the scene even though viral videos from protesters on the ground show otherwise. Officials are also claiming that criminals have hijacked the peaceful protests, using gaslighting tactics often used to steer away from the cause at hand.

On Twitter Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said about 25 people had been wounded describing it as an “unfortunate shooting incident.”

He initially said no-one had been killed, aligning with military reports but later said one person died in hospital due to “blunt force trauma to the head.”

Several celebrities have spoken out including John Boyega, Rihanna, Beyoncé and Tiwa Savage.

While tweeting and being vocal about the injustice in Nigeria is important, there are also other ways to amplify the movement as well as supporting on the ground efforts.

The first step is researching voices in the movement to understand the history which dates further back than 2020. A website has also been created to maintain up to date information around the #EndSARS movement.

 

Secondly, continue to use the #EndSARS hashtag on social media to bring awareness.

Thirdly, if you are able to do so, donating money to organizers and on the ground efforts is also a way to stay engaged. People on the ground need food, clean water, toiletries and much more. A list of crowdfunding initiatives can be found here.

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