SARS: A Summary, Update and Message from Peers

JANNAH BABAR

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has persisted for nearly over a year and counting, whereby every morning, the news is readily updated on the number of cases, deaths and more recently, vaccines. All over the world, the quarantines, lockdowns and isolation from normality has been an incredibly stressful journey. As a result of such unnatural circumstances, all conversations revolve around the pandemic itself. Thus, it’s almost hard to believe that other pressing matters exist and affect people just as much as the virus.

Although the coronavirus has been the culprit of millions of lives, it has not been the only thing responsible for death and destruction. Pertaining to Africa, conflict is a continuing issue that currently exists which begs the question of ethics, human rights and morality if corruption persists within a global health crisis. A clear example of this can be seen with the SARS crisis that took place in Nigeria that resulted in a protest, despite the dangers of the coronavirus.

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), which was originally instated in 1992 to combat armed robbery and other serious crimes, has now become interchangeable with accusations of police brutality and indemnity. Interestingly, the crimes which SARS sought to combat were reportedly a result of a gap in policing, which resulted in desertion following the death of a military officer through the agency of police operatives. Thus, SARS is somewhat of a phoenix birthed from the flames of police brutality. It seems as though no matter how many fires are set, SARS seems to rebirth itself with new feathers, but with the same unceasing violence. Rights groups such as Amnesty International have even documented the units’ abuse of civilians including and not limited to coercion, extrajudicial killings, illegal stop and searches and rape.

In disgust of this unsettling reality, in early October of 2020, many Nigerians took to the streets in protest of the infamous police unit. Peaceful protests, organized under the hashtag #EndSARS, spread across the country of 206 million people and to Nigerian diaspora communities in the U.S. and Europe in solidarity with the movement. The protests were inaugurated shortly after a video of a SARS officer shooting a man before driving off was released. Sọrọ sókè werey, a Yoruba phrase loosely translating to, ‘speak up fool’, had become an iconic statement associated during the protests. It was directly targeted at the government and their leadership calling for the disbandment of SARS, reparations and justice for the victims, in a tireless effort to end police brutality. Since then, the #EndSARS movement has acted as a medium through which Nigerians have voiced their distasteful experiences to the world. The #EndSars movement was trending on almost every single social media platform available since October 2020, but only 2 months later and the circulation of information has

reduced significantly. So, what’s happening now?

The Nigerian government announced their disbandment of SARS on the 11th of October and agreed to numerous compensations: prosecution of abusive police officers, reimbursements to the

families of victims, higher police salaries, release of imprisoned protestors and the psychological evaluation/retraining of all SARS personnel before their redeployment. At first, this seemed as though the demands of the protestors have been met as it reflects responsiveness, transparency and accountability yet this is not entirely the case.

While SARS has been disbanded, in its place President Buhari has situated the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit. Naturally, many have felt skepticism and unease in response to this decision as it gives the impression of a rebranded SARS. As a result, the #EndSARS movement has now transcended it’s cause as it has developed to encapsulate wider concerns of the people to its government such as elite corruption, increasing food prices and extreme levels of unemployment.

‘’The #EndSARS movement represented so much more than the citizens standing up to police brutality; it was the youths – us and our agemates – standing up and saying, ‘enough is enough’ to the establishment. The movement was an adamant rejection of what Nigeria is today and the birth of what she can grow to become.’’ - Omar Ibrahim, MSc International Development Practise, University of St Andrews.

On October 15th, 12 protestors at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos were sitting together holding the Nigerian flag, peacefully singing the national anthem when military forces opened fire on them. Regardless of there being clear media footage of the event, the Nigerian military were quick to brand it as ‘fake news’. Thus, it is evident that the government has branded activists and non-violent protestors as ‘terrorists’, and it is suspected that it is using its intelligence and financial arms to target them. It is even documented by the Human Rights Watch that the Nigerian government has frozen the bank accounts or taken the passports of activists, journalists, and civil society organizations that support or broadcast the protests. Nevertheless, the power of the people is stronger than ever and the passion to resist such corruption is a driving force in this movement.

‘’I have family back home, and seeing places I recognise getting torched to the ground is heart breaking. Yet, I am really impressed at how brave the citizens are, putting their lives on the line to ensure a better future for them and the future generations.’’ - Oyinloluwa Oke, BSc Medicine, University of St Andrews

It is certain that the world was already a violent place pre-covid but the fact that it has continued to be so during the pandemic is a frightening reality. Thus, in order for a less violent arena, sustained cooperation on a domestic and international scale is imperative for peace and stability in regards to both the impact of violence and COVID-19.

This article was originally published on February 4, 2021 on the SAASUM Review website.