With everything going on in the USA today; Corona virus, Election Season, and huge movements against racial injustices, people often forget about what is going on in the rest of the world. You have probably heard about the EndSARS movement but haven't had much time to research or even to think about it. So, What is the movement even about?
Lets start with the question: What is SARS? To sum it up, SARS is the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Nigeria that was first assembled in 1992 with its main goal being to patrol and deal with crimes that had to do with robberies. This could be automobile theft, kidnapping, or break-ins. Over time, however, it has amassed 82 recorded cases of abuse for inhumane torturing methods including waterboarding and beatings.
Push back against SARS first started in 2017, but the hashtag #EndSARS started trending in early October following the shooting of a young man in the streets by a SARS operative. This act sparked outcry from all over the world, and brought light to the abuses going on. Celebrities such as Cardi B, Rihanna, and Drake have shown their support for the movement, which in turn grabbed the attention of their fans and allowed the movement to be heard from across the world. Joe Biden, the democratic nominee, has also showed his support of the movement when he said "The United States must stand with Nigerians who are peacefully demonstrating for police reform and seeking an end to corruption in their democracy,”.
Despite being a peaceful movement, Nigerian soldiers opened fire on an EndSARS protest in Lagos and at another protest that took place in the Lekki toll gate plaza. Here, protesters were singing their national anthem when police forces opened fire with no warning. This sparked another hashtag, #LekkiMassacre.
A huge step for Nigeria took place on October 11 when the Nigeria Police Force announced the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and reform while they search for better options. But, protesters are not too quick to celebrate however, because they have been promised police reform “four times in the last four years,” stated by Bulama Bukarti, a Nigerian lawyer who represents police brutality victims.
This movement has been widely compared to the Black Lives Matter protests going on across the USA, with the same goal in mind, police reform. You can contribute to both movements in the same ways. A first choice would be to educate yourself and others on the movement. I have attached some links that I used that you can use to read and expand your knowledge on the #EndSARS movement at the bottom of this article. Another helpful step you can take is to contribute to the movement financially or attending a protest.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/10/nigeria-authorities-repeatedly-failing-to-tackle-impunity-enjoyed-by-notorious-sars-police-unit/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/endsars-nigeria-police-brutality-sars-lekki-protest/2020/10/22/27e31e0c-143d-11eb-a258-614acf2b906d_story.html
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/25/africa/nigeria-end-sars-protests-analysis-intl/index.html
https://www.fastcompany.com/90566898/how-to-help-nigeria-what-you-can-do-for-the-end-sars-protest-movement-right-now
This was really good and explained it really well! I appreciate the links too.
ReplyDeleteI love that you added links for further reading.
ReplyDeleteI like how you related #EndSARS to BLM since it kind of makes it easier to grasp when we're living in an entirely different place. I also believe that both becoming aware & raising awareness is really important, so thank you for the links!
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