title taken from “I Am African” by Calypso Rose
Why #ENDSARS is bigger than Nigeria
Since Oct 7th, protestors in Nigeria have been using the #ENDSARS hashtag to bring attention to the atrocities perpetrated by the country's Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The young people of the nation want an end to this unit known for harassing and executing citizens with impunity. Although many of the protests have been peaceful, the group was met with violence that included the murder of at least 12 peaceful protestors in the “Lekki Massacre” on October 20th. With the movement now global, the world is watching to see whether or not President Buhari will institute real police reform and make Nigeria safe for its citizens.
Photo cred: CNN
The SARS unit was established in 1992 to protect Nigerians from violent robberies. The groups was given autonomy to stop crime, often putting themselves in direct paths of Nigeria’s most violent criminals. Because they could be targeted for retribution, many officers do not wear uniform, badges or other identifying apparel. Without oversight, the SARS unit was soon accused of committing worse crimes than those they were created to thwart.
In June 2020, Amnesty International reported that people in SARS custody were "subjected to a variety of methods of torture including hanging, mock execution, beating, punching and kicking, burning with cigarettes, waterboarding, near-asphyxiation with plastic bags, forcing detainees to assume stressful bodily positions and sexual violence." ~CNN
The egregious acts of violence were met with incredulity from Nigeria’s government. President Buhari’s address to the nation on October 20th not only did not mention the events at Lekki, he also did not condemn SARS. Instead, he commended the security forces for using “extreme restraint” in dealing with the protestors who were engaged in hooliganism.
The disappointing response did not sway African celebrities like Davido, Burna Boy, and Tiwa Savage as well as dancers like @SayrahChips, @izzyodigie and @_NigerianJawn who took part in the protests and even called on the global Black community to raise awareness.
In a viral post, Tiwa Savage called out Beyoncè who was slow to add her voice to the movement despite her recent Afrobeats-influenced music releases. The need to call on Black Americans to spotlight this movement is indicative of a troubling reality. Despite our fondness for Afrobeats and Afrocentric clothing, Black people outside of Africa take little interest in the events of the continent. In a recent Rant and Rave podcast episode, Ghanaian tour operator Frank Doe explained that a lasting effect of colonialism is that we value a vacation to France or Italy over one to Kenya or Ghana. It took the “Year of Return” marketing campaign to get Black people to take an interest in traveling to Ghana. Nigerian-American influencer Glitteratie noted that when Notre Dame was on fire, Black celebs were quick to change their profile filters and offer prayers, but when Black nations are in trouble, it takes cyber shaming to get them to act.
Eventually Beyoncè, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Drake made #ENDSARS posts and American politicians also weighed in. “The United States must stand with Nigerians who are peacefully demonstrating for police reform and seeking an end to corruption in their democracy,” Democratic nominee Joe Biden said in a statement. 2016 Presidential hopeful Senator Hillary Clinton tweeted “I’m calling on @mbuhari and the @hqnigerianarmy to stop killing young #EndSARS protesters #StopNigeriaGovernment.”
The resolve of the activists and global pressure have caused the government to issue some concessions, such as promising police reform and disbanding SARS. The latter is less impressive as the government has since instituted Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) - a special task force with many of the same officers of SARS and the same autonomy. Nigerian youth see the move as an attempt to quash the movement and appease international human rights organizations. They vow to never forget - and to never let the nation forget - the government’s indifference to their concerns as they look ahead to the 2023 general elections.
#ENDSARS is a remnant of colonialism and the subsequent dictatorship that still plagues Nigeria. Despite having a Black government and Black populace, the view of Black lives as insignificant results in seeing the atrocities perpetrated against them as also insignificant. We need the global Black community to see this as a human rights issue and give it the proper attention to ensure that we proclaim that Black Lives Matter in EVERY nation.
On October 23rd, I went live on Instagram with Glitteratie to break down the history behind the tensions, the demands of the protestors, and why the #ENDSARS movement should be a wake up call for all Black people. Check our the full rant below.
