Thousands of protesters in Nigeria and cities across the world have taken to the streets to voice their concerns about police brutality and demand the abolition of SARS, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. The SARS police unit have been accused of unnecessary arrests, corruption, torture, extrajudicial killings, extortion and heavy handedness.

On October 20th, 2020, the Nigerian government turned on peaceful End SARS protesters at Lekki toll gate, Lagos. At least twelve people were killed as police shot into the crowds. It appears that the attack was premediated as prior to the incident, witnesses claimed that they saw officers taking down CCTV cameras and turning off the electricity in the area. The movement’s suspicion is that this was co-ordinated to prevent any substantial recording or communication of the massacre.

In an address to the country, a few days after the toll gate killings, President Buhari’s tone was condescending, lacked contrition and claimed that the reports about young people being killed were inaccurate. He blamed protesters for the ongoing troubles in Nigeria and implied that the government was right to use ‘necessary’ violence to maintain law and order and to protect property. In the weeks before the shooting, protesters had blocked traffic on Lekki gate to raise awareness about their demands for police and broader social reform.

Their anger was inspired by SARS, a police unit created in 1992 to tackle violent crime such as armed robbery, kidnappings and car-jackings. Initially, SARS was praised for its part in reducing the levels of crime in Nigeria. However, it soon became apparent that some of the officers that were charged with tackling crime were committing the same crimes and even worse atrocities against their own citizens.

Amnesty International reported that between January 2017 and May 2020, there were at least 82 cases of extra-judicial killings, torture and ill-treatment by the SARS officers. Most of the victims were young men aged between 18-35 from low-income backgrounds and vulnerable groups.

Despite these findings, Nigerian authorities have failed to bring SARS officers to justice. This inaction has emboldened the officers to continue to act with impunity, which led to widespread anger amongst Nigerians who were calling for the government to take action and tackle the glaring human rights abuses.

The End SARS movement, a grassroots movement against police brutality in Nigeria, started in 2016. However, recent protests were triggered by a video shared online which appeared to show the unprovoked killing of a young man by SARS officers. These protests have garnered international attention, with celebrities from John Boyega to Rihanna showing support for the movement.

In response to the protests, President Buhari announced the disbanding of SARS. But this did nothing to quell the anger of protesters as no officers were arrested despite many videos showing the killing, brutalisation and torture of young people in their custody. Protesters were also incensed by the subsequent announcement that the officers from the SARS unit were going to be retrained and redeployed to a newly formed unit, SWAT, Special Weapons and Tactics. Not only were the officers not facing justice for their crimes, they were being rewarded with new posts.

Moreover, this is not the first time it has been announced that SARS would be disbanded or reformed. Why should the government’s word be taken seriously this time? Citizens delegate matters to the government and elected representatives in the hope they will act in their interests – but in Nigeria, due to the failure of the government to keep their word, this trust has been eroded.

The movement, mainly led by young people, who have used social media to mobilise and raise awareness, has come to represent more than a demand for the abolition of the SARS unit of police or police reform. The movement has come to represent a call for change in Nigeria.

Police corruption has been normalised in Nigeria from its colonial origins, through military rule, and successive recent governments turning a blind eye. Additionally, because police officers are so underpaid there is an incentive for them to extort citizens and take out their frustrations on them. It is not unusual to see roadblocks set up in Nigeria where police officers stop cars and demand bribes or ‘settlement’ before they let the drivers carry on with their journey.

One of the main justifications offered for police brutality in Nigeria is that offending officers are ‘bad apples.’ However, much like the murder of George Floyd was symptomatic of systemic anti-blackness and an inherent violence in policing in America, police brutality in Nigeria is evidence of a political climate marred by organisational and institutional corruption. This, in fact, informed current President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption presidency campaign in 2015. He was elected because he was seen as the candidate most capable of tackling corruption in Nigeria.

The older generation in Nigeria have been raised with and adapted to a culture of fear of authority figures. Many have developed a mentality which accepts the order of the day and the injustices that go with it. But the End SARS protests show that there is an emerging generation in Nigeria prepared to break with this – and demand better. They are fighting for a Nigeria where their rights are respected and where elected officials serve the citizens, not their own interests.

A well-functioning democracy requires that everyone follows the rules; no one is above the law, including government officials and police officers. In the face the terror and oppression, young people remain steadfast in their determination for real change in Nigeria. They have refused to back down despite the killings at the toll gate, and continue to protest. After many years of frustration, they hope that this is a turning point in Nigerian history.