LEKKI MASSACRE : THE DAY VIOLENCE SILENCED tHE PROTEST

4 years ago, Nigerians stepped out en masse to protest against a bad government, a failing society and an oppressive institution, SARS. The actions of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigerian Police Force were the catalyst that boosted the October 2020 protest. Initially, the movement originated from a Twitter(X) campaign in 2017, using the hashtag #EndSARS to demand the unit’s disbandment by the Nigerian Government. It re-emerged in October 2020, after more revelations of the unit’sabuse of young Nigerian citizens were brought to life. 

SARS officers were known to be notorious, for extorting and physically abusing citizens based on the way they dressed or the items they possessed. Originally commissioned in November 1992, the main purpose of this unit was to investigate, detain and prosecute those involved in crimes such as armed robbery and kidnapping. Along the line, the officers became power drunk, harassing, robbing, assaulting, raping and killing the people they were created to protect. Nigerians had enough and took to the streets on the 8th of October 2020, the hashtag #EndSARS was widespread all over social media, garnering over 28 million tweets on Twitter. Almost every average Nigerian, every celebrity, and every influencer, including the Nigerians in the diaspora championed the “Soro Soke” Movement. EndSars was not just a protest to end a deadly unit of the police force, it was a campaign that witnessed Nigerians passionately demanding better from the authorities.

On the 11th of October, 2020, 3 days after the protest began, the Nigerian Government declared the dissolution of SARS. However, it was noted that similar announcements had been made in recent years to placate the public without the unit being disbanded and that the government had merely planned to reassign and review SARS officers to medical centres rather than disband the unit entirely. The protest continued as planned but this time it was met with resistance. On the 19th of October 2020, President Muhamadu Buhari reacted to the continuation of the movement by warning young Nigerians of anarchists who were allegedly attempting to hijack the protests stating that the federal government “would not tolerate anarchy in the country.” On the 20th of October 2020, the Central Bank of Nigeria, through its then Governor, Godwin Emefiele obtained an ex-parte motion to freeze the accounts of notable participants in the protest. The night of 20th October 2020 happened to be the most heartbreaking event that occurred during the EndSars Protest. With Young Nigerians, mounted right in front of the infamous Lekki Toll gate, peacefully agitating for a country that works, no one would have thought the Nigerian Military would brazenly open fire and kill Nigerians who were peacefully calling for an end to police brutality.

The Lekki Massacre of October 20th, 2020 will remain one of the darkest moments in Nigerian history and a testament to the lengths the government was willing to go to silence its people. 

Today, we remember the EndSARS protest as a movement that saw Nigerians, brave enough to demand justice and accountability from the government. Today we remember those we lost before the protest due to police brutality, those whose loss played a key role in triggering the movement and those we lost during the Protest. Never to be forgotten.