End SARS: Why Nigeria's anti-police brutality protests have gone global

Protests in Nigeria against a police unit accused of human rights abuses have spread to London, in a sign of the international solidarity that has formed around the movement.

It's part of a now global campaign against a branch of Nigeria's police called the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), which has even drawn the backing of the likes of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, Star Wars actor John Boyega, US rapper Kanye West, and footballers Mesut Ozil and Marcus Rashford.

The protests in Nigeria, which have no leader, also reflect a more widespread unhappiness at Nigerian society and governance.

Many of the protesters are young, aged between 18-24. They are deeply dissatisfied by an education system regularly disrupted by striking lecturers, unstable electricity and poor job prospects.

More than a third (35%) of 15 to 34-year-olds are currently unemployed.

So, what is SARS?

SARS was set up in 1992 to tackle a growing problem of people stealing from each other using force in Nigeria.

Supporters say it initially succeeded, but critics say it has been linked to the deaths of people it has investigated.

Rights groups like Amnesty International have documented a series of allegations involving the unit, which campaigners say have worsened in recent years.

In June, Amnesty released a report that documented at least 82 alleged cases of torture, ill treatment and extra-judicial execution by SARS between January 2017 and May 2020.

What are the allegations?

One of SARS' alleged victims told Amnesty he was arrested in 2017 after being accused of stealing a laptop, but was then held for 40 days and tortured before he was brought before a court.

The 23-year-old, Miracle, said: "They started using all manner of items to beat me, including machetes, sticks, inflicting me with all kinds of injuries. One of the officers used an exhaust pipe to hit me on my teeth, breaking my teeth. I was left on that hanger for more than three hours."

Another, 24-year-old Sunday Bang, was allegedly held in detention in 2018 for five weeks, where he suffered bone fractures and other injuries due to torture and other ill treatment after being accused of robbery.

Many other Nigerians have been killed, according to human rights groups.

What's been happening?

Ongoing concern about SARS' activities led in 2017 to a Twitter campaign with the hashtag #EndSARS, which was successful in getting Nigeria's police chief to order an immediate reorganisation of the anti-robbery unit.

They began in earnest on 8 October this year after a video that allegedly showed SARS officers shooting a man in Nigeria's Delta State went viral.

The demonstrations brought major cities like Lagos and the capital Abuja to a standstill, threatening its already struggling economy.

Low oil prices, lack of international investment and rising inflation are plunging the country towards a second recession in five years.

Last Friday, in Lagos, protesters blocked the road to the international airport and the main highway into the city, and protesters in Abuja dedicated the day to Nigerians they say have been killed by SARS.

But the protests have been met with further violence, with at least 10 people killed and hundreds injured, according to Amnesty.

The largely peaceful protesters have been attacked by gangs armed with guns, knives, clubs, and machetes.

What else is happening?

The ongoing allegations of brutality have inspired thousands of people around the world to support those trying to improve policing in Nigeria.

After protesters were shot at, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey tweeted his shock and Beyonce said she was "heartbroken" at the "senseless brutality".

The Manchester United footballer Odion Ighalo, himself a Nigerian, posted a video on Twitter accusing the Nigerian government of killing its own citizens.

Official reaction has been limited, though.

Amnesty International has said there is "credible but disturbing evidence" that confirms the incident took place but the state governor of Lagos said no one had been killed.

So far there has been no statement from the British government, which has a close relationship with Nigeria. Sky News has approached the Foreign Office for comment.

The #EndSARS campaign has also attracted support from Black Lives Matter activists in the US, and Dorsey created an emoji of a clenched fist in the colours of the Nigerian flag to allow people to support the campaign.

Since the start of the latest phase of #EndSARS, the hashtag has been tweeted thousands of times.

What has the Nigerian government said and done?

In response to the widespread demonstrations by young Nigerians, the government said it would disband SARS, but the protesters are continuing, saying they want an end to all police brutality.

President Muhammadu Buhari promised to increase the salaries of more than 350,000 federal police officers, removing the temptation of corruption and extortion to top up poor wages.

Mr Buhari has also promised an investigation into accusations of police violence.

But protesters point out that the SARS unit has been disbanded and renamed several times over the years, and have little faith that anything will change.

Protesters say the people who have attacked them are backed by the police, according to reports in the local press, and have vowed to continue their demonstrations.

Nigeria's military has issued a warning against what it called "subversive elements and troublemakers," saying the army would "maintain law and order, and deal with any situation decisively".

Authorities in Abuja have called for an end to all protests in the city, saying the gatherings risk spreading COVID-19.