HOW YOU CAN JOIN IN THE FIGHT AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY #EndSARS

Illustration by @TheDeeTwo (Twitter)

 

Earlier this month, it was reported that a young man had allegedly been shot and killed by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) officials in Ughelli, Delta State. Last weekend, footage also emerged online showing officers, alleged to be SARS officials, dragging two men along the road in Lagos State and shooting one of them. 

This sparked widespread outrage with many Nigerians speaking out and protesting against police brutality and the unlawful killings, violence, abuse and extortion that have long been inflicted on the Nigerian youth by SARS with no justice for victims or penalties for the offenders.

As a response to this outrage and the alleged killings, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, in a public statement, shared that SARS and “other tactical squads of the force” were banned from invading the “privacy of citizens particularly through indiscriminate and unauthorised search of mobiles, laptops and smart devices.”

He also shared more rules that such officers are required to abide by via the official Twitter account of the Nigerian Presidency, including an instruction that they must “concentrate and respond only to cases of armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes when the need arises.”

In the past week, Nigerians have not only trended the hashtag #EndSARS and shared their numerous, harrowing stories of these cases of violence online, they have also taken to the streets in Nigeria and the diaspora to fight the battle against police brutality with many individuals, activists and public figures lending their voices to the cause and taking a stance against these injustices.

Photos: Grace Ekpu (Twitter)

 

Photo Courtesy of Do2dtun (Instagram)

 

Photo Courtesy of Rudeboy (Twitter)

The protests have also incited further violence from SARS officials and police officers with protesters and more citizens across the country being arrested, shot at, tear gassed and attacked. On the 8th of October, a woman by the name of Joy Eze was shot by a police officer in Lagos state. A few days later, a young man named Jimoh Isiaq, who was found to be a bystander at the #EndSARS protests in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, was shot and killed by police officials. It was also reported and confirmed by the Governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde that seven others had been shot and injured at the Oyo protests.  

Despite the numerous acts of violence by SARS and the police, Nigerians have rightly refused to back down and are still steadfast in their march for justice against the bodies who have failed in their duties to serve and protect us and instead turned on its youths through ruthless acts of violence.

And it is undoubtedly important that we all continue to speak up and fight till our voices are heard. Here are some of the ways that we can all lend our voices to the cause and join together to hopefully bring an end to police brutality once and for all. 

 

Join The Physical Protests

With numerous marches and protests going on around the country and beyond, there are many opportunities for you to join in and take a stand for justice from many locations across Nigeria. Here are details of some protests happening today:

Protests are also ongoing in the Diaspora with Nigerians in the UK, USA and more joining in the fight to put an end to police brutality. A few of them are also scheduled to take place today:

You can find out more about protests happening near you by searching for locations of protests on social media and going through the hashtag #EndSars on Twitter.

Keep Sharing Necessary Information Online

It is important that alongside the protests, we make an effort to keep sharing necessary information online, as much as we can. Whether it be locations of protests that are being organised, photos, videos, new information from government officials, warnings of dangers occurring during the protests and more, it’s vital that we stay up to date regarding all the news surrounding the protests.

Reach Out, Send Messages and Make Calls To Senators and Other Government Officials

It also helps if we reach out to Senators, Governors, Local Government Chairpersons and other officials to urge them to listen to our stories and our demands and take action to make Nigeria a safer and more inhabitable environment for us by putting a stop to the power of SARS.

You can send a message to senators via the link provided below:

Names and numbers of Local Government and Local Council Development Area Chairmen have also been compiled by Twitter users, who you can also reach out to. You can find them through this link: https://govote.ng/files/LGA-and-LCDA-Chairmen-Lagos.pdf

Sign The Petition To #EndSars

Petitions have been created online to urge for the disbandment of SARS and put a stop to the brutality, killings and human rights violations that have occurred as a result of their presence across the country. You can also lend your voice to the fight by signing a petition via the link below:

https://www.change.org/p/nigerian-police-force-end-sars 

Donate Funds and Other Resources To Support Victims of Police Brutality and Aid Protesters Marching On The Front Lines

Another way you can support the movement is to donate money, food, water and other materials to both victims of police brutality by SARS and also protesters who are marching on the streets to demand action from the government.

A few individuals and organisations such as Feminist Coalition and Flutterwave have set up funds to aid this cause. 

You can also lend a helping hand by donating food, water and other necessary resources to protesters on the streets as this too will go a long way to helping the cause.

 

It’s important that, as you engage in the protests and join the fight, you ensure that you’re staying safe and being careful at all times. If you’re going out to protests please wear masks and always, always stick with people you know and trust. 

We’re more than hopeful that with everyone of us remaining unrelenting in our fight against the injustices of SARS and police brutality, we can finally end it all and bring about a Nigeria that’s better and safer for its citizens, the youth and the generations to come!

#EndSars #EndPoliceBrutality

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