Three Years On: What #EndSARS Taught Nigerian Youths
Movements without a public face can be challenging to manage in terms of coordinating actions of protesters and maintaining a cohesive message.
For many youths who witnessed or participated in the #EndSARS protest, a nationwide protest in Nigeria against police brutality, the memories of that event continue to inspire their engagement in social and political matters in the country.
Thomas Ojieh, a Lagos-based youth in his late 20's, who spoke with the Record said the protest was a movement that changed his thought-process around politics in the country.
Like many other youths, Thomas once encountered the defunct Police sect (SARS), where they checked his bank accounts, chat, and emails. He described it as a scary moment.
But, the spark that set this historic protest in motion was a disturbing video that circulated throughout social media on October 4, showing a SARS operative killing a young man in Delta state. Starting on October 8, 2020, and lasting for nearly two weeks, the EndSARS movement united young Nigerians who stood up against the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and its history of …
