EndSars protesters
20 October, 2020, go ever remain for di heart of many young Nigerians. Dat na di day wey men of di Nigeria Army and Police brutally end one nationwide protest by youths of di kontri wey dey demand end to police brutality. Some states set up panels of investigation. For Lagos state, di panel wey retired Justice Doris Okuwobi lead, bin call di unfortunate incident as massacre. "Di brutal disfiguring and killing of unarmed, helpless and unresisting protesters, as dem sit sidon for floor and dey wave dia Nigerian flags, while dem dey sing di National Anthem fit dey equivalent to 'massacre' in context," as part of di panel final report tok. "Di Panel find say na true, di case of di EndSARS protesters say soldiers shoot directly at protesters for Lekki Toll Gate on 20 October, 2020." In total, dem record 48 casualties for Lekki Tollgate, according to di panel, including 11 dead and four missing. Dem release some names and suggest make goment compensate dia families. How e take begin Di hashtag #EndSARS bin dey trend from time to time for Nigeria from as far back as 2017. Young pipo bin use di hashtag to share experiences wia dem suffer one form of brutality or anoda for di hands of Police unit wey dem call di Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Lagos State Police Command create SARS for 1992 to tackle increasing incidents of armed robbery and murders for di state, and eventually e spread to all police formations for di kontri. Howeva, di unit dey face all manner of accuse of human rights violations including extortion, torture, and extrajudicial murders. Di straw wey break di camel back na on 3 October, 2020, wen one video go viral on social media of suspected Sars operatives wey allegedly shoot one young man in front of one hotel for Ugheli, Delta State. Two days later, anoda viral video show one upcoming musician wey dem sabi as Sleek, wey police shoot dead for Rivers State. Wetin bin start as hashtag on Twitter, turn to nationwide demonstration afta many gingering tweets by Afrobeat musicians Azeez Fashola a.k.a Naira Marley; Douglas Jack Agu a.k.a Runtown; and Folarin Falana a.k.a Falz. Naira Marley go later pull out of di protests wey dem bin dey plan afta di den police tok tok pesin, Frank Mba, bin do live chat wit am on Instagram and try to calm pipo. But Falz and Runtown no back down, and so dem begin di "Soro Soke movement". "Soro soke" na Yoruba phrase wey mean "speak up", and become di slogan wey di youths take dey ginger demsef to tok dia mind about dia frustrations against Police Force wey don turn on im kontri pipo wey e suppose. Although Lekki Tollgate become di rallying point for di End Sars protests, e dey important to note say similar protests bin dey happun all ova Nigeria. Youths trend #EndSARSMemorial2 two years after di ogbonge protest wey shake Nigeria Coffins, song for dead pipo, teargas and oda tins wey mark EndSars memorial procession Five for Five… dem meet dis demand? Di protesters wey no get any leaders bin draft five key demands wey dem wan di goment to meet before dem go stop protest. Dia demands na: Immediate release of all arrested protesters wey dem arrest. Justice for all dead citims of police brutality and appropriate compensations for dia families. Set up independent body to oversee di investigation and prosecution of all reported police misconduct within period of 10 days. Carry out psychological evaluation and retrain of all disbanded SARS operatives before dem go fit deploy dem (independent body suppose do di verification). Di goment go increase police salary and make dem adequately compensate dem for protecting lives and property of di citizens. Though Nigeria goment agree at di time to implement all di demands, di reality on ground show odawise. "Nine young men chop arrest during di End Sars protest for Ogbomosho still dey prison till date," Solomon Eniola, wey be di Oyo State Coordinator for Take it Back Movement, tok for one fone interview wit BBC. E say dia names be: Adeshina Ademuyiwa, Ikechukwu Eze, Ariyo Sodiq, Ikenna Amechi, Oyewole Olamide, Ariyo Afeez, Taoreed Abiodun, Adekunle Moruf and Rasheed Tiamiyu. "Na one adjournment after anoda since police carry dem go court afta di protest. Di next date for adjournment na 14 November, 2022," Eniola tok. According to am, di trial dey go on under Justice Moshood Abbas and di seven police witnesses wey give dia testimony before Justice Abbas get promotion for November 2021. Dis mean say dem transfer di case to new judge, Ladiran Akintola, and e go start all over again. Similarly, for one interview wit Chude Jideonwo, independent journalist, popular human rights activist, Obi Ajegbo, say she find out say some of di pipo wey dem arrest for Abuja during End Sars protest, still dey detention till date. Wit regards to Justice for families of dead victims, tori be say Lagos State goment claim say dem pay compensations to several victims. Dem no fit say di same about di oda states for di federation, many of which say dem no make dia panels of investigation public, diafore e no get to know wetin di panels recommend. Wetin don change? For Falz, wey be musician and son of prominent human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria; Femi Falana, sometin don change, but not in terms of di actual change in police operations as di kontri pipo bin dey expect. "Na di spirit, na di disposition of di youth wey don change. I tink pipo don wake now, like 'wake up from your sleep'... I tink we dey get dia," Falz tok for one interview wit Chude Jideonwo, "but in terms of justice, we still neva see am." For Eniola Solomon, Coordinator of di 'Take it Back Movement, Oyo State, justice go mean di release of di nine pipo wey still dey prison for di state and across di kontri, di identification and prosecution of di police officer wey kill Jimoh Isiaka, and proper compensation of Isiaka family. For di Nigerian Police Force, wetin dem confam na di change in dia name. Dem disband SARS replace am wit SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics). Benjamin Hundeyin, di tok tok pesin for di Lagos State Police, refuse to comment wen we ask am wetin don change for di Force since End Sars. "I no wan tok about End Sars," im tok. "You fit quote me, say I tok say I no go comment on anytin about End Sars." "Howeva, we know say di den Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, swear say no former member of Sars follow for di Swat team, and say di personnel of di newly-created unit go thru serious training in modern-day police ethics and values, Intelligence-led policing, and police-citizens relations, amongst odas." Baron El'Sama, na random Twitter user, im post on di first anniversary of di Lekki Tollgate incident say: "Di more tins change, di more dem dey di same... One year afta, Nigeria Police still dey extort, harrass, kill, etc. NOT ONE TIN DON CHANGE!" Di question na weda pipo don dey feel dis adjustments don result to di end of police brutality for Nigeria - wey be di major reason for di End Sars protest of October 2020.
20 October, 2020, go ever remain for di heart of many young Nigerians. Dat na di day wey men of di Nigeria Army and Police brutally end one nationwide protest by youths of di kontri wey dey demand end to police brutality. Some states set up panels of investigation. For Lagos state, di panel wey retired Justice Doris Okuwobi lead, bin call di unfortunate incident as massacre. "Di brutal disfiguring and killing of unarmed, helpless and unresisting protesters, as dem sit sidon for floor and dey wave dia Nigerian flags, while dem dey sing di National Anthem fit dey equivalent to 'massacre' in context," as part of di panel final report tok. "Di Panel find say na true, di case of di EndSARS protesters say soldiers shoot directly at protesters for Lekki Toll Gate on 20 October, 2020." In total, dem record 48 casualties for Lekki Tollgate, according to di panel, including 11 dead and four missing. Dem release some names and suggest make goment compensate dia families. How e take begin Di hashtag #EndSARS bin dey trend from time to time for Nigeria from as far back as 2017. Young pipo bin use di hashtag to share experiences wia dem suffer one form of brutality or anoda for di hands of Police unit wey dem call di Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Lagos State Police Command create SARS for 1992 to tackle increasing incidents of armed robbery and murders for di state, and eventually e spread to all police formations for di kontri. Howeva, di unit dey face all manner of accuse of human rights violations including extortion, torture, and extrajudicial murders. Di straw wey break di camel back na on 3 October, 2020, wen one video go viral on social media of suspected Sars operatives wey allegedly shoot one young man in front of one hotel for Ugheli, Delta State. Two days later, anoda viral video show one upcoming musician wey dem sabi as Sleek, wey police shoot dead for Rivers State. Wetin bin start as hashtag on Twitter, turn to nationwide demonstration afta many gingering tweets by Afrobeat musicians Azeez Fashola a.k.a Naira Marley; Douglas Jack Agu a.k.a Runtown; and Folarin Falana a.k.a Falz. Naira Marley go later pull out of di protests wey dem bin dey plan afta di den police tok tok pesin, Frank Mba, bin do live chat wit am on Instagram and try to calm pipo. But Falz and Runtown no back down, and so dem begin di "Soro Soke movement". "Soro soke" na Yoruba phrase wey mean "speak up", and become di slogan wey di youths take dey ginger demsef to tok dia mind about dia frustrations against Police Force wey don turn on im kontri pipo wey e suppose. Although Lekki Tollgate become di rallying point for di End Sars protests, e dey important to note say similar protests bin dey happun all ova Nigeria. Youths trend #EndSARSMemorial2 two years after di ogbonge protest wey shake Nigeria Coffins, song for dead pipo, teargas and oda tins wey mark EndSars memorial procession Five for Five… dem meet dis demand? Di protesters wey no get any leaders bin draft five key demands wey dem wan di goment to meet before dem go stop protest. Dia demands na: Immediate release of all arrested protesters wey dem arrest. Justice for all dead citims of police brutality and appropriate compensations for dia families. Set up independent body to oversee di investigation and prosecution of all reported police misconduct within period of 10 days. Carry out psychological evaluation and retrain of all disbanded SARS operatives before dem go fit deploy dem (independent body suppose do di verification). Di goment go increase police salary and make dem adequately compensate dem for protecting lives and property of di citizens. Though Nigeria goment agree at di time to implement all di demands, di reality on ground show odawise. "Nine young men chop arrest during di End Sars protest for Ogbomosho still dey prison till date," Solomon Eniola, wey be di Oyo State Coordinator for Take it Back Movement, tok for one fone interview wit BBC. E say dia names be: Adeshina Ademuyiwa, Ikechukwu Eze, Ariyo Sodiq, Ikenna Amechi, Oyewole Olamide, Ariyo Afeez, Taoreed Abiodun, Adekunle Moruf and Rasheed Tiamiyu. "Na one adjournment after anoda since police carry dem go court afta di protest. Di next date for adjournment na 14 November, 2022," Eniola tok. According to am, di trial dey go on under Justice Moshood Abbas and di seven police witnesses wey give dia testimony before Justice Abbas get promotion for November 2021. Dis mean say dem transfer di case to new judge, Ladiran Akintola, and e go start all over again. Similarly, for one interview wit Chude Jideonwo, independent journalist, popular human rights activist, Obi Ajegbo, say she find out say some of di pipo wey dem arrest for Abuja during End Sars protest, still dey detention till date. Wit regards to Justice for families of dead victims, tori be say Lagos State goment claim say dem pay compensations to several victims. Dem no fit say di same about di oda states for di federation, many of which say dem no make dia panels of investigation public, diafore e no get to know wetin di panels recommend. Wetin don change? For Falz, wey be musician and son of prominent human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria; Femi Falana, sometin don change, but not in terms of di actual change in police operations as di kontri pipo bin dey expect. "Na di spirit, na di disposition of di youth wey don change. I tink pipo don wake now, like 'wake up from your sleep'... I tink we dey get dia," Falz tok for one interview wit Chude Jideonwo, "but in terms of justice, we still neva see am." For Eniola Solomon, Coordinator of di 'Take it Back Movement, Oyo State, justice go mean di release of di nine pipo wey still dey prison for di state and across di kontri, di identification and prosecution of di police officer wey kill Jimoh Isiaka, and proper compensation of Isiaka family. For di Nigerian Police Force, wetin dem confam na di change in dia name. Dem disband SARS replace am wit SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics). Benjamin Hundeyin, di tok tok pesin for di Lagos State Police, refuse to comment wen we ask am wetin don change for di Force since End Sars. "I no wan tok about End Sars," im tok. "You fit quote me, say I tok say I no go comment on anytin about End Sars." "Howeva, we know say di den Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, swear say no former member of Sars follow for di Swat team, and say di personnel of di newly-created unit go thru serious training in modern-day police ethics and values, Intelligence-led policing, and police-citizens relations, amongst odas." Baron El'Sama, na random Twitter user, im post on di first anniversary of di Lekki Tollgate incident say: "Di more tins change, di more dem dey di same... One year afta, Nigeria Police still dey extort, harrass, kill, etc. NOT ONE TIN DON CHANGE!" Di question na weda pipo don dey feel dis adjustments don result to di end of police brutality for Nigeria - wey be di major reason for di End Sars protest of October 2020.
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