KEY POINTS
- The four years detention of #EndSARS protesters, disappointed CSOs.
- Police brutality and authority misuse is rampant, not a new story, nor is it one that will go away quickly.
- They lobby for stronger accountability of and better relations between police and the citizen.
Four years after the end of #EndSARS protests, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have condemned the continued detention of those arrested during the protests as Nigeria marked the four years anniversary.
Despite the calls for police reform that have rung out around the world, many #EndSARS protesters are still in detention, drawing criticism of the way in which the Nigerian government has handled the unrest.
Continued detention, police brutality call out CSOs
The African Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) on Thursday said they are disappointed that protesters are continuing to be detained and police reform has been long in coming.
The grievances that spurred the #EndSARS movement, police brutality, extortion and harassment, have largely gone unaddressed, he said. SARS was disbanded, but systemic problems in the police force remain, Ugolor said.
Andrew Mamedu, ActionAid Nigeria’s Country Director, spoke against the police approach to peaceful protesters. And he pointed to events such as the recent police dispersal of commemorators in the Lekki Toll Gate with tear gas as evidence that little progress is being made in upholding human rights and reforming the police.
An ongoing Nigerian fight for justice and reform
Many CSOs, such as ActionAid and ANEEJ, have continued to push for greater level of accountability from security agencies and want police reforms that go beyond cosmetic changes.
Sights such as this will be key, they stress; key to trusting relationships between law enforcement and the public — improving police welfare, training and community engagement.
Police brutality will persist, and Nigerians’ mistrust in the police will continue to grow without meaningful police reforms, activists argue — a process that will undermine Nigeria’s democratic foundations.
According to Vanguard, victims of police violence are still waiting for justice today, while recommendations of judicial panel are nearly not implemented, despite promises made after the protests.
Reaching out to the CSOs, the CSOs reaffirm their commitment to press for systemic reforms and accountability within Nigeria’s security agencies so as to ensure the non recurrence of the abuses that caused the #EndSARS protests.
