Demonstrations to end police violence in Nigeria have been on for quite some time. Many Nigerians have fallen victims during peaceful strikes. Some have sustained severe injuries, while others have lost their lives. The group of protestors in Nigeria demanded the government to disband Special Antirobery Unit. They claimed that the unit was torturing, extorting, and conducting extrajudicial killings.
It is not the first time Nigerians have rioted to end SARS. During this time of the pandemic, police violence has escalated and degenerated into a monster in the country. As such violence-prone countries are becoming insecure. For instance, the governor of the state of Lagos had to deploy anti-riot to help contain the situation in the city. He even ordered the closure of schools and urged students to embark on online learning.
The last peaceful demonstrations in Nigeria turned into mayhem when police started firing at the crowd who gathered in Lagos. Amnesty International has a mountain of evidence in which the police were using extra force to scatter the demonstrators. The Nigerian police inspector alleged that the demonstrators engaged in the destruction of public property. However, according to Amnesty, paid hooligans had sabotaged the peaceful demonstrations. They were responsible for the chaos. Nonetheless, it was inhumane for the police to shoot at the peaceful demonstrators.
South African’s Protest and Police Violence
Videos of police brutality in Nigeria were circulating all over social media. This sparked mixed reactions from South Africans who were outraged. On Wednesday, South Africans took to the streets to protest against the surging police violence in Nigeria. Most of these demonstrators were Nigerians who were staying in South Africa. They vowed to keep the strike on until they saw a transition in Nigeria.
Reactions
AKA, a famous rap star in South Africa, was among the protestors chanting “solidarity with Nigerians”. He condemned the atrocious behavior of police killing their fellow Nigerians. In a tweet, he wrote that what was happening in Nigeria was insane. He sent lots of love and strength to Nigerians as a token of his support.
The Economic Freedom Fighters, an opposition party in South African, also promised to stand by Nigeria during the tough time. The party called on the Nigerian government to control its army as there was a lot of bloodshed in the country. In a statement, the party said:
“The EFF salutes the young lions of Nigeria in their resolve to graduate their successful fight against police brutality under the banner of #ENDSARS.”
The South African Trade Union Congress criticized the violence in Nigeria. He stated that the protests had degenerated from the continuous mistreatments Nigerians were receiving. The protests were a reflection of the anger the people had towards the government. Nigeria is currently in the spotlight for mismanagement, corruption, and police brutality.
South Africa called on AU and ECOWAS to caution President Buhari of Nigeria to quickly end the strikes. Nigeria is one of the economic giants in Africa, hence the government should find solutions to solve the problems.
MORE:
