IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 235 
Supporting the demands of the #EndSARS movement for justice, account-
ability, and meaningful police and security sector reforms in Nigeria 
and calling upon the President and the Secretary of State to safeguard 
and promote the protection of freedoms of thought, assembly, and expres-
sion in Nigeria and around the world. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 16, 2021 
Mr. GREEN of Texas (for himself, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Ms. OMAR, Mr. HAS-
TINGS, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. BASS, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. COHEN, Ms. 
NORTON, Mr. COOPER, Ms. TITUS, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, and 
Mr. MCGOVERN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the demands of the #EndSARS movement for 
justice, accountability, and meaningful police and secu-
rity sector reforms in Nigeria and calling upon the Presi-
dent and the Secretary of State to safeguard and pro-
mote the protection of freedoms of thought, assembly, 
and expression in Nigeria and around the world. 
Whereas, on October 20, 2020, armed security forces report-
edly indiscriminately fired live ammunition on a crowd of 
peaceful protesters that had gathered at the Lekki Toll 
Gate in Lagos, Nigeria, resulting in numerous deaths and 
injuries, in an event now known as ‘‘Black Tuesday’’; 
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•HRES 235 IH 
Whereas, on October 3, 2020, a widely shared video emerged 
appearing to show footage of the brutal treatment and 
robbery of a Nigerian citizen by Special Anti-Robbery 
Squad (commonly known as ‘‘SARS’’) officers; 
Whereas since the emergence of this footage, thousands of 
people across Nigeria have been publicly and peacefully 
demonstrating against police brutality and demanding the 
complete disbandment of SARS; 
Whereas, on February 6, 2021, the Judicial Panel of Inquiry 
set up by the Lagos State Government to investigate the 
October 20, 2020, incident shockingly approved the re-
opening of the Lekki Toll Gate prior to the completion 
of forensic analysis of the crime scene sparking calls for 
further protests; 
Whereas, on February 13, 2021, peaceful demonstrators were 
reportedly arrested and tortured during a protest in re-
sponse to the decision of the Lagos State Judicial Panel 
of Inquiry to reopen the Lekki Toll Gate; 
Whereas the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria has been 
peacefully calling for the disbandment of SARS, that has 
been implicated in widespread human rights abuses, in-
cluding torture and extrajudicial killings; 
Whereas there has been significant evidence of police violence 
and abuse by SARS in Nigeria, which must be thor-
oughly and immediately investigated in order to achieve 
justice for victims; 
Whereas justice for the victims and their families killed by 
Nigerian security forces during the peaceful demonstra-
tions against police abuse must be addressed; 
Whereas comprehensive reform of the security sector, includ-
ing specific measures of accountability, should be imme-
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•HRES 235 IH 
diately initiated and implemented in a public and trans-
parent manner; 
Whereas the Nigerian government must uphold the right to 
peaceful protest and assembly in accordance with the 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Inter-
national Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Afri-
can Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the 
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as 
amended); 
Whereas there are over a million Nigerian migrants across 
the world, with nearly 400,000 Nigerian immigrants and 
their children residing in the United States; 
Whereas the African Union issued a strong condemnation of 
the murder of George Floyd, an African-American man 
unlawfully killed by Minneapolis police officers, in rec-
ognition of the global significance of the Black Lives 
Matters movement; and 
Whereas injustice against Black lives in Nigeria is a matter 
of international concern, because Black lives matter 
wherever they may be in the world: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) declares that the United States of America 
considers respect for human rights as a foundation 
for its bilateral and international engagement with 
Nigeria; 
(2) condemns the violent crackdown and intimi-
dation of peaceful protesters by Nigeria’s security 
forces; 
(3) calls on the Nigerian government to— 
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•HRES 235 IH 
(A) not use excessive force against peaceful 
protesters in compliance with international law; 
(B) desist from the prosecution, harass-
ment, and infringement of the human rights of 
any and all Nigerians for exercising their right 
to protest; and 
(C) release all persons wrongfully arrested 
for participating or supporting the #EndSARS 
protests and pay reparations to victims of police 
brutality; 
(4) support the demands of the #EndSARS 
movement for justice, accountability, and meaningful 
police and security sector reforms in Nigeria; and 
(5) calls upon the President and the Secretary 
of State to safeguard and promote the protection of 
freedoms of thought, assembly, and expression in 
Nigeria and around the world. 
Æ 
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