FOUR years after the #EndSARS protest, Nigeria’s progress in tackling police brutality, extortion, and harassment remains under scrutiny. This report ex-rays growing cases of police abuse, despite the 2020 protest.
Tuesday, October 20, 2020, will remain a day to be remembered in the annals of Nigeria’s history. On that fateful day scores of Nigerian youths who had taken to the streets to protest police brutality against civilians were killed by military personnel.
The gory incident occurred at about 6:50 p.m. when military personnel, under strict directives, fired life bullets on the peaceful protesters at the Lekki toll gate.
The protesters were exercising their civic rights as provided in the Nigerian constitution and the international human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a party.
The protest was meant to call out the brutality of the security forces in particular the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a notorious armed unit known for perpetrating human rights abuses, and for total reform of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).
But it turned out to be bloody as the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari resorted to using military might to violently disperse the protesters.
The attack led to the killing of some of the protesters by the military personnel who shot directly at them, leaving many injured and others arrested.
According to Amnesty International, which joined other concerned entities, home and abroad, to condemn the crackdown, not less than 12 protesters were killed during the shooting.
Since the #EndSARS protests, several of the movement’s leaders have been arrested and tortured, their bank accounts frozen, while many others have fled into exile, findings reveal.
Some of the demands made by the protesters
The organisers of the protest that rocked the foundations of cities like Lagos, Port-Harcourt, and Abuja, had made demands that included raising police officers’ salaries and benefits, releasing detained protesters, and providing compensation to the families of the victims.
They also called for the government to establish an impartial agency to look into claims of police misconduct, bring charges against individuals involved, and undertake psychological testing on former SARS personnel before redeploying them to other units.
Government intervention
The ICIR reported that apart from disbanding SARS and replacing it with the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, the government in various states also set up judicial panels of inquiries into police abuses, paid compensation, indicted some police officers for human rights violations, with 28 recommended for prosecution.
The federal executive council under President Buhari also approved a 20 per cent upward review of police salaries, effective January 2022, to improve relationships between police and the public.
It is, however, uncertain if the salary increase has been implemented.
Has anything changed?
A public affairs analyst, Senator Iroegbu, said Nigerians should remember the values of unity, justice, accountability, and what collective action can achieve.
He believes the #EndSARS protest is also a stark reminder that government’s high handedness and intolerance to civic action and disobedience can lead to undesirable outcomes.
“It is time to reflect on the sacrifices made by young Nigerians towards a better nation and a more reformed security and policing system.
“As we reflect on that bloody incident, we must honour the memories of those who lost their lives and acknowledge the struggles of those still seeking freedom,” Iroegbu said.
He said it is also crucial to recognise the EndSARS movement’s significance in Nigeria’s history, as it symbolises the people’s demand for an end to police brutality and a call for reform.
Iroegbu pointed out that the movement’s impact extends beyond the protests, representing a broader desire for systemic change and improved governance.
“It is also a moment that calls to clear the blurry lines between dictatorship and our collective quest for democratic governance,” he said.
A lawyer and partner at Eko Solicitors and Advocates, Justice Ojienoh, thinks Nigerians should not let the bloody incident go unmarked.
“It was a significant set of events that indeed irked the people in power, as it should. But it was a series of events that reverberated all across the world, that the Nigerian youth can express her frustrations at a body of government that battered their constitutional rights to the dignity of their person as encapsulated and protected by section 34 of the Nigerian Constitution.
“Nigerians must keep demanding that the others that participated in the protest be released unconditionally, as they are not the ones who have broken the law but it is the government that has arrested them in those circumstance that has broken the law and should be sued and redress secured against them for their unlawful aggression,” he said.
Four years after the #EndSARS protests, Nigeria still grapples with police brutality, extortion and harassment.
On October 19, 2024, reports emerged that a man fleeing police arrest fell into a Lagos canal and died.
According to reports, the yet-to-be-identified man succumbed to the injuries he sustained after falling into a canal in an attempt to escape arrest by policemen who reportedly labelled him a fraudster in the Ayobo area of Ipaja, Lagos State.h
The man was accused of being an internet fraudster by plain-clothed policemen due to his appearance.
The victim, who was unconscious at the time he was rescued from the canal, was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja GRA, where he reportedly died.
In September, a student at Kwara State Polytechnic, Ishola Abdulqoyum, was allegedly shot dead by a trigger-happy police officer on Panat Road, which connects Sango and ShopRite in Kwara State.
Abdulqoyum, an ND II part-time student of Electrical/Electronics Engineering, was said to be on a commercial motorcycle when the police arrested him and shot him to death.
According to the deceased’s brother, Abdullah, the victim was stopped while riding his motorcycle and told to go into a waiting police patrol car, where the authorities demanded money.
The officers involved in the alleged killing have been identified as Abiodun Kayode, James Emmanuel, and Oni Philip. They appeared in court on October 16, 2024, and were charged with criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide following their arrest and subsequent dismissal from the force.
In another development, a police officer attached to Edo State command , Abraham Uzuobo, is presently facing disciplinary action for reportedly raping a minor detained at the South-Ibie police division.
The victim, a 17-year-old female suspect, was taken into custody on suspicion of receiving stolen goods.
Sources familiar with the situation claim that Uzobo entered the cell covertly after the on-duty female officer, Edith Eduma, left the room for a short while.
After allegedly unlocking the cell, he led the adolescent to the administrative section, where he allegedly raped her.
Actions like these and more led to the #EndSars protests of October 2020, and they are still not fully eradicated.
A youth advocate in Mpape, Abuja Jeremiah Abudu, told The ICIR that major issues that prompted the protest are still visible.
According to him, police officers still stop citizens, especially youths on the road and search their phones.
A Lagos-based media practitioner, Judith Akatugba, told The ICIR that the police have not changed and are getting worse day by day.
“See the young man that was reported to have died yesterday because he was chased by the police into a canal, does that show any sign of improvement on the part of the police?” she asked.
IGP frowns at cases of police high handedness, extortion
A few days to the fourth anniversary of the #EndSars protest, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, in a statement released on Friday, October 18 and signed by police spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the IGP had expressed concerns and condemned the alleged cases of extortion and high-handedness perpetrated by certain recalcitrant members of the police.
According to the statement, Egbetokun stated this while addressing senior officers, emphasising proper supervision and professional conduct.
He also ordered the IGP X-Squad, Monitoring Unit, and Complaint Response Unit (CRU) to conduct routine checks on officers to curb misconduct and corruption.
He promised that erring officers and supervisory officers found wanting would face punishment.
Still in detention
Although the protest led to the disbandment of SARS’ and partial police restructuring. However, many protesters remain detained without trial, facing trumped-up charges despite multiple denials by the authorities.
The ICIR reported that six persons who participated in the 2020 #EndSARS protests were only freed by a Lagos State Magistrate Court in Ogba two months ago, almost four years after the protest.
They are Adigun Sodiq, Salaudeen Kamilu, Daniel Joyinbo, Kehinde Shola, Azeez Isiaka and Sodiq Usseni.
Bolanle Osunsanmi, the court magistrate, discharged them on Thursday, August 23.
The defendants were released after pleading guilty to a reduced charge filed by the Lagos State government on August 22, 2024.
The charge indicated that they engaged in behaviour likely to disrupt public peace, contravening section 168(d) of the Lagos State Criminal Law of 2015.
Following public outcry over the #EndSARS massacre, the Lagos State government constituted a Judicial Panel of Inquiry to investigate the shooting incident at the Lekki toll gate.
The panel was set up to establish who the protesters were, identify affected individuals, determine compensation, and recommend prosecutions.
The panel has since concluded its findings and submitted its report. However, the government has yet to fully act upon the recommendations.
“Other similar panels were set up across the country with some compensations made. Also, there was an instant banning of SARS as a special unit in the police force.
“Nevertheless, there is still a feeling that most of these measures are cosmetic and require more sustainable and comprehensive reforms,” Iroegbu, told The ICIR.
On his part, Ojienoh asserted that not much has changed on the side of the government.
He said the avenues to enjoy the rights of the average Nigerian youth have been further stifled.
“The government seems to be taking more proactive actions in ensuring that the average Nigerian youth does not even come out at all to protest as they were allowed in 2020.
“The means of enjoyment of the rights are seriously deteriorating as the years are going by,” the legal practitioner maintained.
The ICIR reports that instead of bringing suspected perpetrators to justice and prioritising genuine police reforms, the Nigerian government have been subjecting those who supported the protests to intimidation, harassment and smear campaigns.
Ways to end police brutality
With regards to the orientation of security personnel, Iroegbu, who is also a security analyst, believes there have been some developments, stressing that more needs to be done to address the underlying issues that led to the protests.
“The Nigerian government should prioritise police reform, ensuring that security personnel understand and respect human rights.
“This includes providing adequate training on de-escalation techniques, community engagement, and accountability mechanisms,” he suggested.
Iroegbu thinks the police and other security operatives should improve training programmes for security personnel to emphasise human rights, community policing, and conflict resolution.
He proposed the establishment of robust mechanisms to investigate and prosecute cases of police brutality and misconduct on a continuous and systemic basis.
He urged for community engagements to foster greater collaboration between security agencies, the citizens and local communities to build trust and prevent conflicts.
“Ultimately, Nigerians should continue advocating for justice, reform, and accountability.
“By remembering the sacrifices made during the EndSARS protests, we can work towards a more just and equitable society,” Iroegbu submitted.
On her part, Akatugba called on the government to make a memorial for those who died or were injured in the course of the protest.
She also urged the government to come clean, accept responsibility and offer tangible support to the families of the dead and injured victims.
“The government should also support freedom of expression, she added.
In a report by The ICIR in 2022 to mark 2 years of the EndSars protest, it observed how Police brutality, extortion and harassment have continued after the protest. The report looked at red flags for youths who are the principal victims of police harassment. You can read the report here.
