#ENDSARS
By: The Black Women'S Project
Tags: Nigeria, End Bad Governance, Endsars, Police Brutality

You’ve heard the phrases ‘ozugo’ and ‘soro soke’, but what is the context behind them?

Photo credit: Ope Odueyungbo

SARS is the special anti-robbery squad, a special force of the Nigerian police, founded in 1992. Originally, this part of the police force was responsible for handling violent crimes, such as armed robbery and kidnapping. However, over time, this force became the perpetrators of violent crime themselves. They became a terror to young people, who are often profiled as criminals or ‘yahoo boys’ (online fraudsters) for having hairstyles such as dreads, or coloured hair, laptops, iPhones, or expensive looking clothes. On the back of this unfounded profiling, SARS officials usually illegally stop and search young people, gaining illegal access to their devices, extorting people of their money, and this sometimes ends in the murder of some young people without any form of justice being pursued.

This has been going on in Nigeria, for several years, but the #ENDSARS movement didn’t officially start until 2017 when Nigerian young people decided “Enough is enough”, and they took to the streets in peaceful protests. Between 2017 and now, the Nigerian government has put out a statement, every year declaring the ‘disbandment of SARS’ but every year, the same problem has continued to reoccur. This was one of the catalysts for the #ENDSARS movement in October this year, which saw young people across Nigeria, and Nigerians across the world, stand in unity against the Nigerian government demanding “Enough is Enough! SARS must go!”

We must continue keeping attention and pressure on the country’s government and this requires a collective effort from afar. Throughout the ENDSARS movement, there has been persistent support from international organisations and the most prominent being the Feminist Coalition. A non-profit organisation established in July 2020 by a group of 11 Nigerian women fighting for gender equality. During the ongoing protests, they have been at the forefront of keeping people informed and providing food, aids and legal aid to victims, families of the deceased, and medical emergencies. Unlike the Nigerian Government, the Feminist Coalition has been transparent with what they have done with donations received all across the world and has shown the potential Nigeria has, especially amongst the youth.

Head over to their website, where you can read their statement and have a look at where their donations are coming from and going towards specifically. Currently, they are no longer accepting donations, but you can still show your support by following their social media and be up to date regarding the movement and other urgent news.

Twitter: @feminist_co

Instagram: @feminist_co

“We have a vision for a Nigeria where equality for all people is a reality in our laws and everyday lives.”

There have been other key agents in raising awareness within their organisations. Yemisi Adegoke is a BBC Africa journalist living and working in Lagos in Nigeria. She’s been providing key resources, updates, and more via her Twitter account, @Briticoyemo. Falz the Bahd Guy is a Nigerian rapper, he sings about the oppression in Nigeria and this was particularly shown in his 2018 music video ‘This is Nigeria’ which showcased police brutality and Nigeria’s institutional problems. He has been out protesting and went active on social media demanding change from the government.

Other organisations:

Food Clique (NGO) aims to increase food access and its funds go towards supporting their hunger-relief supports.

Burna Boy’s charity organisation; ‘Project Protect’ is a sub-fund under his charity The R.E.A.C.H. The aim is to help protestors wrongfully arrested or harmed by SARS during and after the protests.

These organisations and more have been paramount in addressing the Nigerian community’s immediate needs during their fight for police reform. Let’s make sure to continue supporting them and ensure that the fight for change in Nigeria is met!

As a response to the massacre on the 20th of October, a UK parliamentary petition to impose sanctions on the Nigerian government was created and had been signed by more than 200,000 people in less than 24 hours. Despite this, western intervention is not the answer. Decades of Eurocentric foreign policy has left many with the false notion of the West being able to save Nigeria and other African countries. However, Western intervention is counterproductive. They would not harm those in power but rather the poorest and most disadvantaged citizens, and Nigeria has suffered enough at the hands of imperialism. Using excessive force as a means of controlling Nigerian people is nothing new. The 19th century saw the arrival of British colonisers, who treated the land and its people as resources to be controlled and plundered. In order to ensure that Nigerians were working to serve the British colonisers, police forces were created as a means of forcing Nigerians to work in mining, agriculture, and other forms of hard labour. Colonial forces were brutal, and a great deal of Nigerians died. Additionally, colonisation pitted Nigerian people against each other for many years. The birth of the Richards Constitution provided the North autonomy over the South resulting in the suppression of Southern political agitators. The foundations for political tribalism in Nigeria were established as a result of this, the brutal legacy of colonialism is evident in the ways SARS terrorises. When Nigeria gained its independence in 1960, a trail of violence and corruption had been left upon Nigerian citizens. It is a vestige of the British Empire.

However, one of the positive results of the EndSars movements is that it has shone a spotlight on Africa, meaning that people who were unaware of what has been going on in other African countries are now being informed. Whether it’s the #CongoCrisis of the #AnglophoneCrisis, people are now being educated on what is really going on in these countries.

It is absolutely vital that we do not stop spreading awareness about what is going on in Nigeria or donating to those on the ground, we need to keep protesting (especially in the diaspora) and force the Nigerian government to hear our voices. We cannot let EndSars become another moment in time. Until people are held to account for the senseless killings by SARS officers and the state-sanctioned violence we saw on the 20th of October, we should not stop using our voices or amplifying Nigerian voices. In this social media era — especially for those in the diaspora — it is easier for us to somewhat ‘move on’ from the issue or just stop speaking about it when it becomes less trendy. But we have to stop doing that, these issues are not solved in a couple of weeks. It will take a long time to rebuild Nigeria, so it is imperative we do not stop and let the government think that they have won.

Nonetheless, this movement has given us hope for the future of Nigeria. Nigerians deserve a Nigeria they can be proud of, a Nigeria that benefits everyone, not just the elite.

Never forget to ‘soro soke’ and ‘ozugo’.

REMEMBER THEIR NAMES:

JIMOH ISIAQ. SLEEK. AYOMIDE TAIWO. PETER OFURUM. CHIKA IBEKU. CHIBUIKE ANAMS. IFEOMA ABUGU. CHRISTIAN ONUIGBO. EMMANUEL EGBO. VICTOR MADUAMAGO. CHIDI ODINAUWA. STEPHEN AGBANYIM. TONY ORUAMA. TIYAMIU KAZEEM. MUS’AB SAMMANI. KOLADE JOHNSON. ONOVO MATTHEW. CHINEDU ANI. PRECIOUS ODUA. RICHARD GORA. CHIJIOKE ILOYNA. LINDA IGWETU. DANIEL TELLA. HARRY ATARIA. JOHNSON NNAEMEKA. FEMI BELLO. CHIMA IKWUNADO. GODGIFT EKERETE. GABRIEL OWOICHO. TINA EZEKWE. TONY ZITTA. MODEBAYO AWOSIKA. DANIEL ADEWUYI. CHUKWUEMEKA MATTHEW. CHIKA IBEKU. AZUAMAK MADUEAGO. RINJI BALA UZZIEL. JOSEPH EIDONOJIE UGBENI. ANITA AKAPSON. CHIBUIKE DANIEL IKEAGUCHI. IFEANYI OZOR. CHINEDU MENIRU. AUGUSTINA AREBU. ANTHONY NWOKIKE. PAULINUS OGBONNA. EKENA ISSAC MEGBE. EMEKA OJINZE. ADEMOLA MOSHOOD. ISMAILA ANYINLA. OKE OBI-ENADHUZE.

#EndSars #Endbadgovernance

Authored by: Itunu Bankole-Olusina, Tireoluwa Ajayi, Anthonia Ezeudogu and Rahma Salia