#Endsarsnow: Nigerian youths stage massive protest in Canada against police brutality

Posted by admin General Politics, Latest Politics, National Politics, Nigerian Police, NNP News, Top Stories Saturday, October 17th, 2020

(NNP) The protests against police brutality that have come to be known around the world as the #Endsarsnow protests have assumed international dimension with Nigerians around the world joining in the protest for accountability and respect for human rights. On Saturday, Nigerians in Canada’s largest city of Toronto took to the streets in massive numbers to draw more international attention to the endemic corruption and police recklessness in the country. The protesters mostly young Nigerians, held out signs that read “end police brutality” and “end corruption.”

One protester who spoke to the media stated that this is just the beginning, that the protests will extend to targeting corruption in government and hold officials accountable. Another stated that while he is not a youth, he is determined to support them to the very end. A few of the protesters who spoke with NewNigerianPolitics indicated their resolve to continue the protests until change is achieved. One likened the movement to the Arab Spring that swept across the Middle East in 2011 and targeted corruption. “We youth have been oppressed in Nigeria for far too long,” he started. ” We are targeted for our looks, our life style, just for holding laptop or having an expensive phone. Our rights have been violated at every turn and this must stop,” he further stated.

The protests started a week ago when a unit of the Nigerian police known as SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) reportedly killed an innocent young man in an attempt to arrest him and another man. The protesters say the unit known widely for its indiscipline, beatings and extrajudicial killings, have constantly violated the rights of young Nigerians and must be disbanded. The police boss and President Muhammedu Buhari both announced an end to SARS with the announcement of a new unit known as SWAT formed to replace SARS. Protesters, unsatisfied with the move calling it cosmetic, called for a complete overhaul of the police and justice for the SARS victims.

–NewNigerianPolitics