‘Lagos Protests’ Dominate Twitter Trends As Youths Demand #ENDSARS

 

A group of young Nigerians has occupied the streets in Lagos to protest police brutality and demand an end to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Using the hashtag #LagosProtests, the youths shared videos and photos of them gathered at Ikeja Underbridge.

They displayed placards with various inscriptions lamenting police brutality and unlawful killings.

The youths in a signed petition said despite several reforms announced by the Inspector General of Police, “cases of abuse of citizens by operatives of the Special Anit-Robbery Squad have increased without any steps taken by the high command of the Nigeria Police Force to address the fundamental problem of impunity of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.”

 

They, therefore, demand the total disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

They plan to take the protest to Police Headquarters in Ikeja and to the Lagos State House of Assembly and continue for the next three days.

See the tweets containing videos and photos from the protest below…

 

The youth protest in Lagos follows last week’s outrage on Social media which was triggered by the viral video shared on Twitter showing a lifeless body of a young boy reportedly shot by a SARS official in Ughelli area of Delta State.

The Delta State Police Command however reacted to the viral video and explained that the young man was not shot by the police but he sustained injuries after jumping from a moving car while trying to evade police arrest.

Following the outcry and continued call for an end to SARS operations, the IGP, Mohammed Adamu on October 4 announced the ban of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and other Tactical Squads of the Force from embarking on routine patrols.

Despite this, youths have continued to protest across the country demanding total disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.