For the past week the hashtags #endsars #endsarsbrutality was trending in Nigeria. What did it mean?
SARS is The Special Anti Robbery Squad; it was founded in 1984. It was put into place to protect civilians from armed robbers. However, they extort, harass, sexually assault, and attack innocent people.
Our cousin got in touch with us to increase awareness and to encourage us to share the message with others using our platform. Which we hope to inspire for you to do the same.
It’s become common knowledge that the SARS operatives will stop you, go through your phone and force you to withdraw money from the atm - all while threatening to beat or kill you.
Our cousin Tayo shared this “I was coming home from a birthday party with my friend Seun* and sister-in-law. We were about to hop into an Uber when all of a sudden a car pulled up and men jumped out. They began pushing and grappling us.
As they came from behind, we did not know they were SARS officers and we began struggling with them until we were made aware of their identity. Seun was dragged into the car and I was left to pick myself from the floor. They let me be because my hair was cut short and Seun was beaten all because his hair was in locs and they kept saying he belonged in a cult.”
He was taken to Gbagada and couldn’t leave until the ransom of 50,000 Naira £100 was paid. Seun was released the next morning, however, the trauma of that experience lives forever.
Imagine being kidnapped on your way home from a party?! The most drama some of us experience after a night out is arguing who pays for the UBER ride home.
Since the 8th of October, scores of protestors have given up their own personal safety to take to the streets. They have been demanding reform and an end to the SARS unit.
We live in an age where we cannot underestimate the power of social media. There are a lot of young people who are making their voices heard. They are putting their lives on the line by sharing videos on Instagram and twitter live.
On Sunday 11th October The Inspector General of Police dissolved the SARS unit across all Thirty-Six States of Nigeria.
“The new Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team will fill the gaps left from the dissolution of SARS”, he said.
The police chief also ordered the release of all detained protesters after a meeting with the National Human Rights Commission.
He did not say how many of them were in detention.
If you would like to spread awareness, please reshare using the hashtag #endsars
We stand in solidarity with the protestors in Nigeria, we are with you.
This is an edited piece, to see the full article hop onto the blog.
This is far from over, in fact this is just the beginning.
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