Overview
Recently, the most heavily populated and oil centric country in Africa, Nigeria, has found itself submerged in loads of controversy. What once started as a small campaign to end police brutality, has spiraled into a world wide affair. The Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, which was formed in late 1992, was first created to combat a series of chaos and disorder; ironically, this police unit was called out for becoming the very thing they were supposed to combat: the notion of brutality and lawlessness.
This hashtag arose in 2017 when Nigerian activists sought to absolve this unit. According to the New York Times, “In June, Amnesty International issued a report that it said had documented at least 82 cases of torture, ill-treatment and extrajudicial executions by SARS officers between January 2017 and May 2020. The victims, Amnesty said, were predominantly men aged 18 to 25, from low-income backgrounds and vulnerable groups.” #ENDSARS was no longer just a hashtag when Nigerian protestors took it to the streets to express their disdain. On October 3rd, a video surfaced of an unprovoked killing of a man by a SARS officer in Ughelli. Nigerian officials eventually arrested the person who took the video because they claimed it was fake. Even though the video was supposedly falsified, it was widely shared over social media.
The more the video spread, the more people began to urge for the eradication of SARS. Also, another video emerged on October 4th of officers dragging two men and shooting one of the men outside a hotel (The Washington Post). Following this, rage fell upon Nigeria as this gruesome video was seen by so many on social media. On October 11th, it was announced that SARS was dismantled and at least 2 officers were fired. The Nigerian President, Muhammadu Bahari, spoke to the people and stated, “Your voice has been heard loud and clear, and we are responding” (the Washington Post). Although he made an effort, the President’s words didn't mean much to the protestors. With peaceful protests being held in Lagos, then later being suppressed, the people grew angrier. According to Statica.com, recorded in 2019, half of Nigeria’s population is below the age of 19. Knowing this, it wasn’t surprising seeing so many Nigerians taking their angst to Social Media. With protests, riots, suppression, and social media, Nigeria fell into a cycle of conflict.
Problems, Problems, Problems
SARS isn’t the only impending issue Nigerians are upset about. Coronavirus is truly taking a toll on Nigeria’s economy. According to Statistica.com, “Nigeria's economy was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among others, oil prices experienced a sharp fall and the country lowered the daily crude oil production consistently. In January 2019, the price per barrel amounted to 57 U.S. dollars per barrel, whereas in April 2020 the price dropped by 15 dollars. Crude oil, petrol, and fuel represented Nigeria's main source of export value.” Also intertwined with Covid19, concerns arose surrounding the misuse of government funds during the pandemic.
The Familiarity of it all
As one can probably tell, the SARS outbreak shares significant similarities to that of the United States’ controversies surrounding the police. The discussion of police brutality has taken over the US ever since the death of George Floyd. Although both countries are dealing with an uproar on policing, Nigerians call for reform rather than the idea of defunding their police unit.
The key tie between the two is an important one though: they both believe police officers killing citizens should be prevented in a free country. USA Today writes, “Many protesters, inspired by BLM to expand the scope of the campaign, are calling for full systemic reform of the police, punishment of officers guilty of brutality and compensation for SARS victims." The Black Lives Matter website even indicates that they stand in solidarity with Nigerians.
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