The #EndSARS Protests, Corruption and Insecurity Debates in Nigeria

Abstract

The mass protests to end the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (known as the #EndSARS protests) was a decentralized social movement and series of mass protests against police brutality in Nigeria. The protest started in 2017 as a Twitter campaign using the #ENDSARS to demand the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. This paper argues that the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria was a microcosmic manifestation of the deeply rooted dissatisfaction of Nigerians with the social, economic and political situation of the country. Data was collected using secondary sources such as internet materials, journals, research reports and textbooks, were analyzed using the expository and analytical method of inquiry, the paper demonstrates that the protests were just the avenues the Nigerian youths got to ventilate their frustration, disappointment and anger with the government. The paper asserts that nepotism, tribalism, insecurity and corruption are the underlying issues that fuelled the protest. Restructuring and resource control, which underline the gross inequality in Nigeria, are other current debates that gave rise to the protests. Following the analysis, the paper concludes that nepotism, tribalism, insecurity and corruption are the bane of Nigeria's economic, political and social development.