Amnesty International said there was "credible but disturbing evidence" security forces in the country’s biggest city had fatally shot protesters. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Follow live: One … Although the protests have largely abated for now, the nation’s youths have discovered the power of their abilities to mobilize further demonstrations. Momentum for the protests has faded in recent weeks. A statement from the singer on the Twitter feed of her charitable foundation, BeyGood, said: "I am heartbroken to see the senseless brutality taking place in Nigeria. Half the population is under the age of 19. Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage, who worked with Beyonce on her visual album Black is King, had called on the star and her team to use their voices to raise awareness about the situation. Published. Protesters shot at in #EndSARS anti-police brutality rally in Nigeria, Nigerian protesters in the streets of Alausa Ikeja after the authorities declared an open-ended lockdown in Lagos, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}. However, the demonstrators have not been satisfied with the announcement and are demanding an end to abuses and respect for human rights in all parts of the Nigerian police force. At the same time, protesters say that the government is conducting a targeted campaign against people associated with the uprising in order to impede and subvert the movement — destroying any good faith Mr. Buhari had hoped to build. While it was credited with having reduced brazen lawlessness in its initial years, the police unit was later accused of becoming a criminal enterprise that acts with impunity. A study a few years ago by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said corruption “is rife across the country’s economic sectors,” costing billions of dollars and preventing Nigeria from “realizing its great human and economic potential.”. SARS officers carry guns but do not wear Nigerian police uniforms or badges Since the creation of SARS, they have been known for engaging in illegal acts and torturing the citizens of Nigeria. They want more accountability from their elected leaders and an end to common practices of graft and bribery that permeate the Nigerian government establishment, considered one of the most corrupt. But the government’s response so far has only reinforced the views of protesters. Beyonce has also spoken out in favour of the #EndSARS movement. Cleaning debris after a demonstration in Lagos. But the protesters’ views have only been reinforced by a government campaign to persecute the leaders of the movement. The SARS was a special branch of the Nigerian Police Force created in 1992 to deal with crimes associated with robbery and firearms. What are the other demands of the protesters? Protesters confronting a Nigerian state security vehicle during a demonstration in October. Benson Ibeabuchi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. However, the group quickly became controversial for its links to extrajudicial killings, torture and other illegal activities. SARS officers were rarely held accountable for their behavior. The authorities, unnerved in October by protests over police brutality, have promised changes. It has also accused the police and military of using excessive force against demonstrators. His pronouncements about listening to the demands of the protesters have been perceived as insincere by many Nigerians, who worry about his authoritarian tendencies. In June 2020, it released a report suggesting SARS officers continued to commit human rights violations, including at least 82 cases of torture, ill-treatment and extrajudicial execution between January 2017 and May 2020. The government’s poor response to the coronavirus pandemic has also angered protesters, who see it as intertwined with the corruption problem and a glaring example of official indifference to the welfare of ordinary Nigerians. Demonstrations have been banned in Lagos. Here are the basics of what is happening now in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer and a center of the continent’s economic, social and political trends. It highlights the deficiencies in Nigerian police accountability that contribute to, and exacerbate, these violations.”, After the video was widely shared, thousands of young protesters have marched in cities across Nigeria with banners reading: “#EndSARS.". Lagos state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said one person had died at hospital from blunt force trauma to the head, but that it was unclear if he had been a protester. “I can’t bear to see this torture and brutalisation that is continuing to affect nations across our planet,” she said in a post on social media. SARS (Special Anti Robbery Squad) is a branch of the Nigeria Police Force. But the response did not mollify protesters — especially after Mr. Buhari’s subordinates said SARS officers would be redeployed elsewhere in Nigeria’s police system. What is the outlook for further protests? Daniel Chibuike was a 20-year-old aspiring musician when he was shot dead on October 5, 2020 by police officers serving in the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigerian Police Force. Amnesty International has reported cases of unlawful killings and police brutality allegedly carried out by the group for years. Demonstrations erupted in Lagos, the nation’s biggest city, and elsewhere around the country, driven by calls from people — many of them young — organizing on social media with the #EndSARS hashtag and demanding that the government eliminate the police unit. What started the anti-SARS demonstrations in October? Responding to the reports of shootings, US presidential candidate Joe Biden said: “I urge President [Muhammadu] Buhari and the Nigerian military to cease the violent crackdown on protesters in Nigeria, which has already resulted in several deaths. What is SARS and why are people protesting against police in Nigeria. The protests morphed into “a much larger critique about Nigeria, everything from police reform to security to extrajudicial killings,” said Judd Devermont, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. As calls to abolish the anti-robbery force known as SARS grow in Nigeria, protests against law enforcement show that police brutality isn’t solely an American issue, Trevor Noah said on Tuesd… It encompasses a range of issues, from inequality to corruption to basic distrust of politicians. The aftermath of October protests in Lagos against police brutality. Amnesty said the report “reveals a pattern of abuse of power by SARS officers and the consistent failure by the Nigerian authorities to bring perpetrators to justice. Some activists are already saying the government’s response so far is laying the groundwork for another surge into the streets. The hashtag first surfaced in 2017 as activists in Nigeria sought to abolish a federal police unit called the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. The hashtag spread internationally, with prominent actors and sports figures from across Africa to Europe and the United States sharing social media posts. Fueled by young people and an outspoken Nigerian diaspora, Mr. Devermont said, the movement had become “a platform to talk about a host of challenges.”. In June, Amnesty International issued a report that said it had documented at least 82 cases of torture, ill treatment and extrajudicial executions by SARS officers between January 2017 and May 2020. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Protests have stopped traffic in Lagos, the capital Abuja and many other large cities throughout Nigeria. The Special Anti-Robbery Squad was created in 1984 to combat an epidemic of violent crime including robberies, carjackings and kidnappings. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. There have been weeks of protests in Nigeria with mostly young people demanding the disbandment of a notorious police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars). There are currently plans to increase the force to 650,000, adding 280,000 new recruits to the existing 370,000. Follow live: One protester death confirmed, more gunfire in Lagos today. 2. Ariyo-Dare Atoye, the convener of the Coalition in Defense of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution, a civil rights group that has been highly critical of the president, said “you can never tell what is going to trigger another protest.”. People who have been demanding that officers be fired and that the most brutal among them be prosecuted say that the government’s response was an attempt to paper over a problem, not fix it. The Nigerian government’s failure to address this problem, Amnesty said, showed “an absolute disregard for international human rights laws and standards.”. Nigeria’s Police Brutality Crisis: What’s Happening Now. Similarly, the former US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, called Mr Buhari and the army to "stop killing young #EndSARS protesters". to persecute the leaders of the movement. End SARS: How syndicate connived with police to defraud me of N36 million – Petitioner. Chibuike’s death was the last straw for Nigeria’s youth, who had already taken to the streets in 2017 to demand the abolishment of SARS. My appointment represents a call to duty and a charge to restore the dwindling primacy of the Nigeria Police Force within the internal security architecture of our beloved country. A Pew Research Center survey conducted a few years ago showed only 39 percent of Nigerians were satisfied with how democracy was working. Nigerian officials said the video, widely shared over social media, was fake and arrested the person who took it — inciting even more anger. on. Amnesty International has blamed Nigeria’s security forces for at least 10 deaths during the protests. A youth-led movement in Nigeria demanding an overhaul of how Africa’s most populous country is governed began with a protest about police brutality and expanded in October into the largest popular resistance the government has faced in years. Powerful state governors in the country’s north have called for censorship of social media, which had been used to mobilize the protesters in October. The police constable and member of the defunct SARS, is said to have conspired with other constables, who are now at large, to kill a suspected criminal in 2015. The Nigeria Police is the principal law enforcement and the lead security agency in Nigeria with a staff strength of about 371,800. Protests began after video circulated showing man apparently being beaten by police officers, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, Protests against police brutality in Nigeria have turned deadly, with at least one person confirmed dead and dozens more left wounded as officers continue to shoot at demonstrators.Â. End SARS is a decentralised social movement, and series of mass protests against police brutality in Nigeria.The slogan calls for the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a notorious unit of the Nigerian Police with a long record of abuses. While Mr. Buhari is Nigeria’s democratically elected civilian president, he is widely remembered for his tenure as the country’s military ruler in the 1980s, when he showed a penchant for meting out humiliating discipline — famously forcing tardy civil servants to perform frog jumps. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. The victims, Amnesty said, were predominantly men ages 18 to 25 from low-income backgrounds and other vulnerable groups. Rihanna has said her “heart is broken for Nigeria”. They ask for bribes, extort, harass, kidnap, rape and even kill citizens. The government responded by announcing it would ban the anti-robbery squad on 11 October. The NPF is a very large organisation consisting of 36 State commands grouped into 12 zones and 7 administrative organs. Even before the pandemic upended life, Nigerians had a dim view of their politicians. Reporting was contributed by Shola Lawal, Monica Mark and Ruth Maclean. Asked if they thought “elected officials care what ordinary people think,” six in 10 said no. The United States must stand with Nigerians who are peacefully demonstrating for police reform and seeking an end to corruption in their democracy.". The deadly suppression of a peaceful demonstration in the affluent Lekki district of Lagos on Oct. 20, compounded by curfews and the deployment of Nigeria’s military forces to quell further demonstrations, further angered many people. The catalyst seemed to be an Oct. 3 video that appeared to show the unprovoked killing of a man by black-clad SARS officers in Ughelli, a town in southern Delta state. President Muhammadu Buhari agreed on Oct. 12 to disband SARS, calling his decision “only the first step in our commitment to extensive police reform.” The government also has commissioned panels of inquiry into police brutality. ... Nigeria needs decentralized Police, 22 states ready for ranching – Osinbajo. The SARS was a special branch of the Nigerian Police Force created in 1992 to deal with crimes associated with robbery and firearms. Warned of threats to their safety, some high-profile activists have gone into hiding or left the country. There has be to be an end to SARS. The most notable step was a pledge to disband the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, known as SARS, a notoriously corrupt unit that critics contend is exactly the type of criminal syndicate it was created to eradicate. forcing tardy civil servants to perform frog jumps. Shaken by the scope of the protests, Nigeria’s leaders have promised meaningful responses that include inquiries into police impunity. “My heart goes out to all those who have lost a loved one in the violence. But the response did not mollify protesters — especially after Mr. Buhari’s subordinates said SARS officers would be redeployed elsewhere in Nigeria’s police system. Protests began two weeks ago after a video was circulated showing a man apparently being beaten by police officers from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, known as SARS. President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Beyoncé were among those denouncing the crackdown.

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