#ENDSARS - The African Mirror

Oct

2020

Burned-out buildings and armed gangs in Lagos despite president’s plea

ANGELA UKOMADU GANGS armed with knives and sticks have blocked major roads in Lagos, with many angered by a speech by Nigeria's president in which he appealed for calm but failed to condemn the killing of protesters demanding an end to alleged police brutality. The unrest is the worst street violence since Nigeria's return to civilian rule in 1999 and the most serious political crisis confronting President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military leader who came to power at the ballot box in 2015. A highway leading to the international airport was obstructed by blockades manned by groups of young men…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

#EndSARS: What it feels like to be in the shoes of a young Nigerian

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

OLUDAYO TADE, Researcher in criminology, victimology, electronic frauds and cybercrime, University of Ibadan FOLLOWING weeks of nationwide protests against police brutality, led by young Nigerians who complain of being targeted by the police, Adejuwon Soyinka asked Oludayo Tade, a sociologist, to help us understand what it feels like being a young Nigerian living in the country today. Why have the protests been driven by young Nigerians? The immediate trigger of the protest has to do with the brutalisation of young Nigerians by the trigger happy and extortionist Special Anti-Robbery Squad, now disbanded. Members of the unit extorted and abused the…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

NIGERIA BURNS

NEWS

NIGERIA’S biggest city Lagos and several states were under curfews as unrest rooted in anti-police protests broke out again following a day of violence, including the shooting of civilians by security forces. Fires burned across Lagos and residents reported hearing gunfire despite President Muhammadu Buhari's appeal for "understanding and calm". Armed police tried to enforce a round-the-clock curfew in the commercial capital, setting up checkpoints. But groups of young men blocked a number of major roads with overturned traffic signs, tree branches and rocks. Smoke billowed from buildings that were ablaze. Video verified by Reuters showed armed police in the…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Young Nigerians rise up to demand a different kind of freedom

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SAKIRU ADEBAYO, Postdoctoral fellow, University of the Witwatersrand TWO days after Nigeria celebrated its sixtieth year of independence, a video of a young man brazenly killed by a member of the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad or SARS caught the attention of netizens. The Twitter user who posted the viral video claimed the man’s body had been left at the side of the road and his Lexus stolen. It sparked a wave of protests across most of Nigeria’s urban metropolises. Under the moniker #ENDSARS, the protests have garnered support from Nigerian celebrities, Nigerians in the diaspora and even international stars such…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Why disbanding the notorious anti-robbery squad won’t stop bad policing in Nigeria

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

LANRE IKUTEYIJO, , Obafemi Awolowo University A wave of protests has spread through Nigeria as citizens call for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a unit of the Nigeria Police. This followed footage that went viral of the squad beating a man to death. Protesters took to the streets and started a social media campaign using the hashtag #ENDSARS. On Sunday, October 11, 2020, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, announced the unit would be dissolved, though protests continued as there was little clarity on what the next steps would be. Nigeria has had several special tactical police…